"My visor nook was down, my sun visor was down, my earbuds were on my seat,” Heather Kidwell, a resident of the Locust Run Neighborhood in Conewago Township, said.
Kidwell said she noticed the items out of place last Thursday.
“And my first thought was that my husband might have been looking for something in there,” Kidwell said. “So I went in and asked him and he was actually simultaneously checking his email and saw an email about break-ins in our community."
That email stated two vehicles were broken into in the neighborhood. Down the street, it happened to John Lilliedahl's wife. Same deal. Glove compartment open and several bucks gone.
“I was up til 1 o’ clock that night and I didn't hear any noise,” Lilliedahl said. “I was surprised, like I said, we've lived here for three years and have never had a problem before."
But Kidwell and Lilliedahl aren't the only neighbors to come forward from Locust Run. Police said several other developments, including Chesterbrook, Autumn woods, and the Hayshire area are seeing the same thing.
Between July 8th-15th, there have been more than 20 thefts reported in Conewago, Manchester, and West Manchester Townships, and more that have gone unreported. Police call them crimes of opportunity.
"They're just checking for unlocked doors, walking in the neighborhoods, pulling on car doors,” Lt. Gregg Anderson with the Northern York County Regional Police Department, said.
A surveillance video posted by the Department shows the same thing. The man sees the door is locked, and walks away.
“We've had it before, where, yeah, it's one group and they're hitting multiple developments,” Anderson said. “And we've had it where there's a couple crews out there working."
Sometimes they get away with nothing, but in the past week, thieves took loose change, cellphones, iPads, laptops, even a gun.
"Honestly I don't keep anything good in my car so they didn't get anything from me, but, we don't want people to be worried,” Kidwell said.
One thing that's helped police get closer to solving these crimes than in years past is surveillance videos from neighbors with devices like ‘Nest' and ‘Ring.' They are now asking folks to go back and check footage since July 8th. They are posting videos on their website and social media pages, hoping someone recognizes the suspects.
