WILTON MANORS, FLA. (WSVN) - Thieves broke into nine vehicles outside of a Wilton Manors apartment complex, but residents said only the owner’s manuals were stolen.
Wilton Manors Police said the burglaries took place along the 2000 block of Northeast Fifth Avenue between 3 and 5 a.m., Monday.
However, residents said the crooks were only after a specific item: their vehicles’ operating manuals.
“I don’t know what to think of it, to be honest with you. It’s very strange,” victim Gary Sikorski said.
Sikorski and his neighbors woke up to find only the passenger side windows shattered.
“I had a GPS and some sunglasses, but that was still there, and they had emptied out the glove box,” he said. “One of my neighbors that I was talking to said, ‘No, the only thing they took out of my car was the owner’s manual.’ I went through my stuff that I had pulled out of the car, and I said, ‘Wow, that’s really strange. Mine is gone, too,’ and then I had called my other neighbor, and he said his manual was gone as well.”
One neighbor who did not want to be identified said he was confused by the missing manuals as well.
“[You can] get an owner’s manual pretty cheap online, so it doesn’t make sense to me,” the neighbor said.
Police said some manuals can contain identification numbers that thieves will try to use to make a new key and can therefore steal the car.
Some drivers keep important paperwork, such as their vehicle registration, inside of the manual.
There’s no question thieves are getting more creative as of late.
Last week, more than a dozen air bags were stolen from cars in a Davie neighborhood.
“This is costly,” Sikorski said. “A lot of us, you know, people missed work today, you know. I lost my whole day because I had to go to the glass place and back and forth and wait for the glass to come in and, you know, the police report. I was up at 6 a.m. because of all of the hassle out here.”
If you have any information on these burglaries, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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