Car pilferers target 2 Bluffton neighborhoods in string of vehicle break-ins; Jeep stolen
Local car pilferers are at it again — this time focusing their efforts near Old Town Bluffton.
Tuesday morning, police received reports of four car break-ins and one stolen vehicle all within walking distance of each other. The incidents were split between The Villages at Lake Linden and The Walk at Bluffton Square, which lie on opposite sides of Burnt Church Road.
Around 7:30 a.m., a Lake Linden resident told Beaufort County deputies her Jeep Cherokee was stolen out of her driveway, according to a sheriff’s office incident report. She had been “in a rush” the night before and left her keys in the unlocked SUV. Her purse, debit card and two bottles of medication had been in the car.
The woman also informed police about an unauthorized $41 debit card charge that was made around 10:30 p.m. the night prior at the nearby Shell on Bruin Road. Police later visited the gas station to ask if the transaction had been captured on surveillance footage, the report says.
About 45 minutes later, Bluffton police took two reports of vehicle break-ins at The Walk at Bluffton Square, a neighborhood of single-family homes off Burnt Church Road. Details of the thefts were not immediately available.
At 9:50 a.m., another Lake Linden resident told sheriff’s deputies her Toyota 4Runner had been rummaged through overnight. The only thing missing from the car was her garage door opener — and the garage door had been left open by about a foot, seemingly an accident on the part of the unknown bandit.
Deputies received their third break-in report out of Lake Linden soon after. Items in the woman’s car were “out of place” and compartments had been left open, she told police.
Around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, police were sent back to Lake Linden for another attempted car break-in. The caller said a suspect wearing black pants and a gray hoodie had just fled the area, according to an incident report.
After an unsuccessful search for the suspect around the neighborhood, deputies met with the resident, who showed them Ring camera footage of the person pulling the driver’s side handles of two locked cars in her driveway. A nearby motion sensor lit up, sending the suspect running.
No suspects had been arrested following the string of thefts.
How can residents protect their cars?
Car break-ins are a year-round occurrence in Beaufort County, but they typically increase during the spring and summer months.
Investigators say the perpetrators, usually younger suspects, target neighborhoods and tourist-heavy areas, repeatedly tugging on car doors in search of unlocked vehicles. By the time police respond, the suspects have usually moved on to a different area.
Under the right circumstances, the suspects can run off with thousands’ worth of valuables.
Master Sgt. Danny Allen, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, has advised residents to always lock their car doors and to store costly possessions in a glove box or center console — or remove those items entirely while parked for long periods.
Police also recommend locals buy surveillance systems for their homes, pointing at least one camera where vehicles are parked and left overnight. Certain outdoor cameras cost less than $50.
