South Bay residents say vandals are targeting vehicles with BB gun

Thursday, January 23, 2020
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- People living on and around Communications Hill in south San Jose say vandals are targeting parked cars. However, this isn't the known bout of smash and grabs we've seen across the Bay Area. Neighbors believe BB guns are being used.

Since Saturday, a few residents have found windows on their cars completely shattered. Others showed evidence a BB or some type of projectile made contact.
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"We just don't have time for this," one resident who wished to remain anonymous said.

RELATED: Quiet San Jose neighborhood hit by thieves who broke into several cars

The frustration in his voice was easy to hear.

The resident said parked his car along Casselino Drive. On Sunday morning, he woke up to find neighbors surrounding his vehicle. They pointed out his right rear window had been shattered.



"I went on Nextdoor," he explained. "I couldn't tell you the exact number, but it was at least 5 or 6 other cars in the neighborhood that were hit."

San Jose police confirm at least three cases of vehicle vandalism in the area since the weekend.

Police records included two incidents on Vistapark Drive and another on Water Street in a nearby neighborhood.
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In that same time, posts to the social networking service for neighborhoods, Nextdoor, revealed up to seven reports of damage to car windows.

Looking closely, neighbors said the damage appeared to be BB gun holes.

ABC7 News traveled to Water Street, where it didn't take long to find shattered glass.



"You just see glass everywhere," Luis Diaz said. "Sometimes throughout the whole street. It happens."

Diaz said oftentimes, the vandals take nothing, but they leave behind a big mess.

RELATED: Smash and grab crime thieves migrating from San Francisco to Southern California

"My car's gotten broken into," he said. "I've lived here eight years, and it's happened twice."
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Back on Casselino Drive, crooks struck again on Wednesday.

A second neighbor, who was parked right next door, had his red Mustang hit. He shared photos with ABC7 News, showing a hole through his window and a hole into the car's body.



Neighbors just want the bad behavior to stop.

"It's too much," one neighbor said. "Even just stealing packages and things like that... just leave us alone."

Neighbors are now parking inside of their garages and considering adding more surveillance cameras to help catch the crooks.

SJPD said it has not made arrests in the three reported cases.
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