MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami neighborhood has become a target for trouble, as residents of one apartment complex sound the alarm about car vandals breaking windows in their parking garage.
Over the past two weeks, there have been multiple calls for service made to City of Miami Police from residents at Eve at The District, located along the 3600 block of Northeast First Avenue in Midtown.
Residents who spoke with 7News on Thursday said they have been dealing with this situation for the past two months, and it’s getting worse.
“Our gates are broken half the time. We’re hearing that these people are getting more organized, they’re coming more and more, in groups of them,” said resident Eddie Fernandez.
Cellphone video recorded by a resident captured a car’s smashed driver’s side window and glass on the ground.
“Look at this. This is insane. This is unsafe building,” the resident is heard saying in the video.
As for the motive, the victims said they’re drawing a blank, because the window whackers are not grabbing any valuables.
The break-ins have nevertheless left residents with a shattered feeling of safety.
“I definitely don’t feel safe,” said resident Melanie Dagher. “I moved to this area to feel safe, because other areas in Miami are definitely not that safe.”
Police said they answered the call to 14 vehicles with smashed windows on the fourth and fifth floors of the parking garage, just before 8 a.m., Thursday.
“And today, August 10th, they broke in my car,” said a resident on cellphone video.
“I know that there’s a lot of cars in there that definitely were worth a lot of money that got vandalized, not just once, but maybe like twice or three times in the last week or so,” said resident Juan Guzman.
“Police apparently is aware of the situation, but they’re doing nothing about it because they know who the people are, so it’s very frustrating,” said Fernandez. “It’s very frustrating to be living in an area you once thought was safe, and you’re paying these premium prices in Miami, and you no longer feel like that’s the case here.”
Fernandez is doubly frustrated because, he said, this happened to him twice over the past week.
“My personal property, I mean, it’s continuously being vandalized,” he said. “How can they break into my car on Saturday, and we bring it back, and then the very next day, it’s broken into again?”
Fernandez and many other residents feel like nothing is being done.
“It just makes you feel like uncertain, if it’s the building, if it’s the area,” said Guzman. “We just want everything to be fixed.”
The residents who spoke with 7News said they’ve called police and talked to their leasing office.
Dagher said she wants to see more security.
“The building should have a better parking garage door. There should be more police officers in the area,” she said.
What’s interesting about the parking garage is that, residents said, it provides public parking spaces on the first couple of floors.
It’s on the top floors, where residents park that, the victims said their vehicles were targeted and where they would like to see more security measures enforced.
“We do need a drop down gate,” said Fernandez.
“When it comes to cameras, when it comes to security, maybe just raise up a little bit,” said Guzman
With the consistency of his vandalism, Dagher said, her concerns go well beyond her car.
“What if it’s by myself at 1 a.m. that I walk out, and then there’s a group of people there?” she said. “What if they grabbed me, they take me into my apartment, steal my stuff? You never know.”
Residents nevertheless stressed that they feel like their leasing agency is working on the problem, but they fear that fix won’t come before the next window is smashed.
Thursday evening, a spokesperson got Eve at The District issued a statement. It reads as follows:
“We are fully aware of the recent incidents at the Eve at the District parking garage and have been working in close collaboration with local law enforcement to investigate. A Miami Police vehicle will be stationed in front of the building, and we have brought in additional overnight security at the property.
We stand by our ongoing commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for our residents and their personal property.”
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.