By: Jenna Beresheim News Editor
Jennifer Halley, a fifth year English major, and several neighbors in the area, awoke to the fact that their cars had been broken into and any valuable contents stolen, on Oct. 26, 2015.
“I heard a lot of shuffling and thudding going on in and around my neighbor’s car and storage unit,” recounts Halley, “I assumed it was my neighbor just making a lot of noise, and almost went outside to tell him to be quiet, but I fell asleep instead.”
This break-in had occurred sometime after midnight, and also included the theft of Halley’s bike, along with valuables from the other two vehicles.
Brianna Bonham, first year social science major, was also contacted by Public Safety on a separate account to inform her that the car beside her own had been broken into.
“They told me my car was fine, that there was just a couple pieces of glass on the hood, and that was it,” said Bonham, who was asked by Public Safety to describe both her car and the affected vehicle, as well as if she was aware of the broken window.
Rebecca Chiles, the Director of Campus Public Safety, urges students and Monmouth residents to keep all valuables outside of their vehicles.
“If you don’t want it stolen, don’t leave it in your car,” Chiles reminded, “and don’t forget to register your bikes with us.”
“A lot of students think we’re only open eight to five like the rest of campus,” admits Chiles, “but we are open and available 24/7.”
While Bonham was not personally affected by this event, it still raised awareness to the fact of what could happen.
“It made me a little nervous about my car because they were right next to each other, so I was concerned that it might happen to my car too,” said Bonham.
“This event made me feel violated and really angry,” said Halley, on the other end of the spectrum, “it made me question how safe I feel here.”
Halley’s advice follows the same vein as Chiles’: don’t keep important things in your car. Another important tip is to actually close the windows and lock the car before leaving, and to hide valuables to make the vehicle less tempting.
“Keep your eyes out, and be aware,” Halley said, “you always think ‘it will never happen to me’, and then it does and it sucks.”
