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Car break-ins plague Milwaukee neighborhoods

Posted at 5:47 PM, May 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-20 21:11:08-04

MILWAUKEE --  It was a rough weekend for car break-ins in Milwaukee and local glass repair shops are trying to keep up with the work. 

One Riverwest neighborhood had five cars with windows smashed in the 2500 block of North Booth Street.

Neighbors told TODAY’S TMJ4 all of their cars were locked and nothing of significant value was stolen. Thieves took a bag of pennies and car chargers from one of the vehicles.

Stephan Thomas owns one of the cars. 

“They just went through it and broke the window,” said Thomas. “Obviously, it’s raining so that’s a little bit of an inconvenience today."

TODAY’S TMJ4 checked in with local glass repair shop, Lake Auto Glass, in Greenfield. 

By Sunday around noon, crews repaired twenty windows and more cars with smashed windows were lined up to be serviced. 

Owners of three of the cars in line said they all lived on the same block in Milwaukee, near 24th and West Lloyd Street. 

At this shop, it can cost anywhere from $200 to $600 to replace a window. 

“You got everything from young people to grandma and grandpa’s that are on a fixed budget and you feel for them,” said Nathan Schanno, an installer with Lake Auto Repair. 

Schanno said spring and summer are always busy, and this weekend was a busy one. 

Besides Milwaukee neighborhoods, Other area law enforcement agencies are urging people to remove valuables from their cars. 

Since May 1st, the Shorewood Police Department says it had 16 car-break-in complaints and about a week ago, thieves stole two cars from homes in Whitefish Bay.

TODAY'S TMJ4 has reached out to Milwaukee Police to see if any arrests have been made -- but have not yet heard back.