MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Car break-ins are a problem seeming to be out of control in Memphis. About halfway through 2023 with 7,420 cars stolen, that’s more than double the number of vehicle thefts year to date in 2022. In addition to car thefts, thousands of vehicles have been broken into as thieves shatter windows to steal anything they can get.
Jasmine’s car was broken into before she left for work around 5 AM Monday morning. She only noticed the busted window when she got in her car for work the next morning.
“I found that my window was broken, I looked to make sure a tree didn’t fall into it or anything like that,” Jasmine said. “I had some family in the house and she saw two guys – it was pretty dark.”
Jasmine believes they took advantage of power outages - stealing a tablet, a pair of shoes and a pair of eyeglasses from her car. Now, it’s impacting her work week.
“I work Monday through Friday so it’s hard and it’s an inconvenience to have to stop, out of my busy day, and then have something like this replaced,” Jasmine said.
Luckily, Jasmine has insurance and they’re working with her to fix the damage but it’s still not something she wants to deal with.
“I’m young and I’m hard working and this should not be an issue especially coming into my own yard to try and steal my vehicle that I work hard for,” Jasmine said.
The Memphis Police Department remind people almost weekly to keep cars locked, park in well-lit areas and invest in a steering wheel lock, car alarm and tracking device. If your car has been broken into or stolen, report the incident to the Memphis Police Department immediately.