SWANTON, Ohio — Metroparks Toledo is experiencing an uptick in car break-ins at parks this summer.
The Metroparks are known for their natural beauty and family-friendly atmosphere. Especially during the summer people from all across the area come to enjoy the fresh air, but spokesman Scott Carpenter says unattended vehicles are targets for criminals.
"It only takes them seconds to see a valuable in a car, break the window and grab it and go," Carpenter said. "We refer to those as smash and grabs."
So far this year Carpenter says there have been 11 cases, four of them across a number of parks over Fourth of July weekend. WTOL 11 talked to a few guests at Oak Openings to see if they were surprised by this.
"Yes I am, I just wouldn't expect it here. But it's everywhere," said park-goer Dennis McCarthy.
"Kinda, but not really. It's around holiday time so people are more aggressive around this time of season," said Roshayla Gilmore, another park guest.
Last year the Metroparks worked with a national task force to crack down on these issues, learning that those thieves were part of a larger ring of criminals based out of Florida.
This year, Carpenter speculates they're witnessing a similar situation, and he believes the two people they have apprehended so far are also part of a similar large group, and making it hard to control.
"Very often the person that smashes your window and steals your credit card is very often handing that card to someone higher up on the chain," Carpenter said.
While Carpenter says they have a detective on staff working to solve these cases, he says the best way for guests to combat the break-ins is to not give the thieves the opportunity.
"Don't leave valuables in your car, especially visible in your car," Carpenter said. "And if you're coming to the park, especially like after work for a run, put your computer bag, your purse, in the trunk of your car before you get here because people might be watching."
The guests WTOL 11 spoke to seem to taking that advice to heart.
"The main thing I do is not have anything of value in the car, and if I do, I lock it in the trunk or keep it out of sight," McCarthy said.
Carpenter says if you see a break-in at the Metroparks, call 911.
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