COCKEYSVILLE — A Cockeysville community is on edge after a rash of car break-ins and thefts hit them Wednesday morning.
Baltimore County Police said they got 13 reports of thefts from vehicles, as well as two stolen vehicles that crashed.
All the cars targeted in these crimes, according to police, were Kias and Hyundais.
One of those stolen cars left a trail of serious damage that’s still evident Thursday. No injuries were reported.
Living by Bosley and Gateridge roads, Laurie Price is used to hearing cars crashing into something nearby. She said there are always accidents.
But, Wednesday around 3:30 a.m., Price got quite the wake-up call.
“I heard a big boom, went running out here and saw a car crashed into the garage,” Price said.
Price’s garage is now concave because of the crash. She said by the time she got outside, no one was in the car.
It’s likely going to cost nearly $10,000 to fix up, according to Price, as there’s damage to one of the walls, too.
But, she’s just happy no one got hurt.
“If it hadn’t been for the wall and the island there, that car could’ve really went into the house,” Price said. “Otherwise, coming down that hill, I’d hate to think what would’ve happened.”
Another stolen car crashed into a tree nearby, according to Price. Meanwhile, 13 other cars in the area are getting fixed up after getting broken into.
WJZ met the owner of one of the damaged cars as a new window was being installed. She said her wallet was stolen.
David and Judy Smith, who live in the same neighborhood as Price, didn’t know about any of this until WJZ informed them Thursday.
“Having so much happen in this particular area is kinda disturbing,” David Smith said.
As of Oct. 15, according to police data, vehicle theft and attempted vehicle theft are up 185 percent.
Joy Stewart, director of public affairs for Baltimore County Police, said the numbers are largely inflated by a social media trend exploiting security flaws in Kias and Hyundais.
The rise in crime has made neighbors uneasy, seeing the crimes encroach on otherwise safe communities.
“When you go to bed at night, you never used to have to worry,” Judy Smith said.
In Price’s case, it got right on her doorstep.
“That’s the tough part, you get stuck when you didn’t do anything,” she said.
Police are following several leads in these thefts and break-ins, but they’re also looking for video evidence, like Ring camera footage.
If you know anything about any of this, call police.