AUSTIN — People living in the Harris Branch neighborhood in northeast Austin are dealing with a rash of car burglaries and thefts, some homeowners told KVUE.
"We're just keeping our eye out," Veronica Trevino said.
She has lived in the neighborhood for about five years. Lately, she feels the crime has gotten out of hand.
"We've had an increase of people breaking into vehicles and stealing items. Two weeks ago, we had two bikes stolen from our front porch," she said.
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One early Sunday morning, her surveillance camera captured three men walking up to her car. One of them tried to open her locked car door.
"We're constantly checking the camera now, just making sure that things aren't left out," she said.
Trevino is not alone.
Thieves have stolen headlights and brake lights. They've also stolen tires and rims, leaving the cars on nothing but blocks of concrete.
"It's one of those things you just ...you wake up and you get out there, and it's just like, 'Where's my stuff," a homeowner, who did not want to be identified, said.
He installed a camera outside his home just days after thieves stole his car's tires and rims.
"I wish they'd just leave people alone. You work hard for your stuff, just let people be," the man said.
Austin police detective Michael Sutton told KVUE they're looking into some of these cases, but it can be challenging without any witnesses or video.
"A lot of times, there's no leads. So [when] there's no leads, unfortunately, there's not much you can do," Sutton said.
He recommends people park their cars in well-lit areas, take their valuables out with them and lock their cars.
"We want it to stop because this was a really good neighborhood, and it still is," Trevino said. "It just started turning, and we want to keep that family-friendly feel."
The president of the Harris Branch HOA told KVUE's Pattrik Perez they just hired security to patrol the neighborhood's amenities center. They've considered adding security throughout the neighborhood, but he said it's simply too expensive.