Multiple vehicles in the Stonecrest neighborhood of Canyon Country were burglarized, while one truck was stolen out of the owner’s driveway last week, according to local residents.

A Canyon Country resident’s security cameras captured thieves attempting to break into multiple vehicles in the early morning hours of Dec. 13.

“They just walked straight up to the cars and tried to break in,” said Carol Enriquez, who shared the security camera footage.

Enriquez left her car, as well as her daughter’s, in the driveway that night when the suspect came around.

“They not only tried out cars, but there was also several others in the neighborhood broken into on the same night,” she said.

But it wasn’t the items in the car the suspect was after, Enriquez said, they wanted the vehicle itself.

“They just tossed everything else in the car aside,” she said. “They spent most of their time trying to get the ignition started.”

In addition to the break-in attempts, there was also a vehicle that was stolen and has not been recovered, according to Enriquez

“On the other side of the cul-de-sac, one of our neighbors had their F-150 truck stolen right out of their driveway,” she added.

According to Shirley Miller, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station, this was not an isolated incident as the number of vehicular break-ins is on the rise.

“Unfortunately, this kind of thing is happening in all of the neighborhoods from Canyon Country to Castaic,” said Miller. “Even though break-ins can happen any time of day, a lot of them are happening at night especially to vehicles parked on the street or in driveways.”

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station teamed up with the City of Santa Clarita on two initiatives focused on theft prevention, “The Stolen Collection” and the “#9PMRoutine.”

“Even locking your car isn’t good enough to guarantee safety from theft,” added Miller. “Cars weren’t designed to be a vault that can’t be broken into, it can be quite easy to smash and grab from a vehicle.”

Both of the initiatives offer several tips to decrease the likelihood of becoming a victim of theft.

“The #9PMRoutine is a reminder to residents to get in the habit, before they get cozy at night, of making sure they have their valuables out of their car, like purses, packages, or important documents and to lock up their houses and cars,” said Miller.

The two initiatives encourage residents to remove any valuables from vehicles, ensure vehicle doors and trunks are locked, check that all property exterior doors are locked, turn on exterior lights at night and to report any suspicious behavior directly to the Sheriff’s Department.

To read more about how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of theft, visit The Stolen Collection, here.

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