CLEVELAND — A huge rash of car break-ins overnight in Tremont is frustrating residents and business owners who live there.
The Cleveland Division of Police reports 39 car break-in victims in the area of Jefferson Avenue and West 7th Street early Tuesday morning.
"I got ready for work, put the backpack on, walked out to the car, and noticed that the window was smashed," Morgan Passek told 3News. "I looked around and there were three others on street that were smashed in, as well."
Passek says she then decided to work from home for the day.
"It's a little frustrating, obviously, because you have to go through all the solutions to try to secure your car and belongings, and you're a little violated," she explained.
According to authorities, witnesses said they heard car alarms going off on West 7th around 4:30 a.m. and seeing at least three vehicles going down area roads busting car windows. They have not yet specified how much property was stolen or damaged in total.
Ricardo Sandoval, owner and chef of the restaurant Fat Cats, told WKYC he worries about his sales and the reputation of Tremont as a whole when he hears about dozens of car break-ins like this.
“It's troubling because there are people that are sensitive to crime that don't probably understand it as much that live out in the suburbs," Sandoval said. "When they see crime in general, they're like, 'Maybe we'll skip going down to Tremont, Ohio City, or Detroit Shoreway.' It's sad that it might be, like, a small group of people that do [these crimes], but it certainly doesn't help business at all. If I'm a family, I'm less inclined to come into the neighborhood to spend my money."
Tremont resident Kyle Shepler wants more from police.
"I heard there's a big shortage of officers," he noted. "They've got to do something. We need more police presence on the street. Something's got to give."
Cleveland City Council Majority Leader Kerry McCormack — whose ward includes Tremont — feels the sentiment, saying he's been talking with police about the situation all day.
"We always want more police presence, there's no doubt about it," he said. "The challenge is that, sometimes, folks will just wait until the police car rolls by to commit these types of crimes. So, that's why really focusing on catching who's doing it and stopping them is key to slowing this type of activity down."
Cleveland police tell 3News these early Tuesday Tremont car break-ins may be connected with similar incidents that occurred downtown around the same time. A suspect car matches the description of one seen near Public Square, where there was a call for shots fired and an aggravated robbery.
