Rash of car break-ins in Fremont reveals twist as little stolen

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Vandals broke into nearly two dozen cars in the East Bay and Tuesday, Fremont police say the case is a puzzle.

A rash of car break-ins happened in Fremont. The burglars targeted cars at the Villas Papillion condo complex on Fremont Boulevard and Auto Mall Parkway, but there's a twist. Police say it's so strange because despite all of the damage, nothing was stolen.

Maria Gamboa put a blanket over her new Toyota where a window used to be. Somebody smashed it, then trashed it early Monday.

"Then they made a big mess, took everything out," she said. "Trashed everything out, made a big mess."

Gamboa's Honda was also broken into at the complex, where almost every resident was victimized. Car after car was burglarized -- 23 in all.

"I got to get this cleaned up," said Vu Huynh, who showed ABC7 News broken glass he collected from his car. Thieves got away with very little.

"They took about two dollars in cash. My fast track was still in tact they just threw it into the back seat," said Huynh.

Fremont police say that's the strange part -- hardly any car owner had anything stolen.

When asked if anything was taken from her car, Fremont resident Karen Baird said, "Not even the winning lotto ticket sitting in my front seat."

Baird's granddaughter is upset about the break-ins. "It's not good," said Taylin Tyhurst. "I ride in the car every day. It makes me scared."

Across town, police say a similar crime happened. Eight cars were broken into on Sunday night on Roberts Avenue, but little was taken. No one knows why their cars were a target.

One resident said, "I have no idea, they just, they are probably mad at something."

Police say the vandals got away. They have no suspect descriptions.

"I work really hard for what I have," said Gamboa.

Residents want surveillance cameras installed and better security patrols at night. They don't want to deal with more broken glass.