SAN ANTONIO – There were more than 21,000 car break-ins across San Antonio from May of 2023 to May of 2024.
We broke those incidents down by zip code to help you see where the hotspots are for this crime and how can protect yourself.
In one zip code, there were more than 1,700 vehicle break-ins during that time period.
78216 is the zip code with the most break-ins by far, and many of them are in or near North Star Mall.
We checked the San Antonio Police Department’s Community Crime Map to see some of these individual incidents.
Some restaurant and hotel parking lots in that area have had 40-60 car break-ins each, from May 2023 to now.
Here are the other top zip codes:
Shopping centers were hotspots across the city.
We also saw a lot of break-ins along I-10 on the Northwest side.
Police say, you should always report these break ins, and if you see people out testing door handles.
“Have it documented so we can keep track of this type of activity,” said SAPD Sgt. Washington Moscoso. “It’ll still put it on the radar for maybe the auto theft unit to go and start monitoring these locations.”
Our analysis shows shopping centers are frequent targets, but it can happen anywhere.
“Wherever there’s gonna be a large number of vehicles, like a hotel parking lot, shopping centers, where they’re gonna be unattended for large periods of time,” Moscoso said.
Police reached out to the public to help identify two car burglars on the Northwest side recently.
In the video SAPD released, you see a young boy holding what looks like a gun test the door handle to an SUV.
When he realizes it’s open, the boy hops in and starts rummaging through the glove compartment and backseat.
A red car pulls up near the house and another boy gets out to keep watch.
Police say the two escaped after the homeowner caught them in the act.
It was one of more than 300 car breaks in that zip code over the last year.
This trend has been on the public safety committee’s radar for years now…
“Unfortunately, we have heard even guns being stolen from vehicles, wallets, cash…” said Melissa Cabello Havrda, who chairs the committee. “Don’t leave any valuables in your vehicle, and if you do, at least dont leave them in plain sight.”
Soon, there could be more money coming into San Antonio for law enforcement to investigate these incidents, along with vehicle thefts.
The city council will soon vote on about $1.4 million for the Regional Auto Crimes Task Force.
Some of that money would go toward finding crime rings and targeting the people breaking into cars.