GREENSBORO, N.C. — Greensboro Police report nearly 3,000 larcenies from cars this year, up more than 30 percent from last year. They say home burglaries are up by a 14 percent increase.
Officers say a majority of these thefts from cars happen when the doors are left unlocked, or items are left in plain sight.
Although one Greensboro woman says her doors were locked she was alarmed to see Ring camera video, showing that a possible thief went into her backyard, to see if any of the cars were open.
"When you start seeing people trying to get in your cars, to me it’s one step closer to you trying to get into my house," said Nicole, who lives in the College Hill area, "He was right here, my door is right there. So, you know, that’s a little too close for comfort."
Nicole said this happened back in November. When she reported it to UNC-Greensboro Police, she assumed it was case closed. But then, she noticed similar attempts happening in other parts of the city.
She believes it could be the same man from her video.
"In the video of this one recently, he looked directly at the camera and kept going," she explained, "And then the one that was just posted, the same guy. The floodlight comes on and they don’t go anywhere. Either they don’t know that it’s a camera, or they just don’t care."
UPDATE: WFMY News 2 spoke with UNC-Greensboro Police Chief Paul Lester on Tuesday, who confirmed that the suspect in this case - Torrance Fowler - is still out there. Officers filed charges against him, but they have not served the warrant for his arrest. Fowler faces misdemeanor tampering with a motor vehicle.
Chief Lester says the suspect has been well-known in the area around campus for years. If you have any idea where Fowler may be, call UNCG Police at (336) 344-4444.
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