Residents concerned about increasing car thefts
By JENNA RAE, NEWS 4 REPORTER
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ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV) — A car theft was caught on camera in West County Thursday. It happened in the early morning hours in the 1500 Block of Forest Springs Drive near Ballwin. However, police say this isn’t just a one-time incident.
“Around five in the morning, two males came walking into that backyard, hit a couple of cars in the col-de-sac. One walked in there, took the car, backed out of the driveway, and the other guy came out running, hopping in the car, and they took off down the street,” Andrew Stewart explained.
Stewart lives across the street from where the car was stolen. His car, along with others on Forest Springs Drive, were also broken into. “They broke into my car and stole $5 worth of quarters,” Stewart said.
The car stolen has since been recovered, however this incident isn’t unique. St. Louis County police tell News 4, 11 cars in the West County precinct have been stolen since May 16, 2021. Across St. Louis County, 141 cars have been stolen in the last month.
“It’s concerning to everybody I would think,” Scott Bernstein said.
Bernstein also lives on the street where Thursday’s car theft happened. He says everyone has been on edge since.
“Definitely adding some security cameras in. Just another layer of security,” Bernstein said. “I mean, the more we can see each other’s areas and kind of look out for each other, the better off we’re gonna be.”
Bernstein and Stewart both say it’s only a matter of time until the thieves are caught in the act and someone turns violent. “Hopefully we can stop some of this before someone actually gets shot,” Bernstein said.
Neighbors on Forest Springs tell News 4 they’ve been staying on high alert since the incident happened. The typically quiet neighborhood now has residents questioning their own property and personal safety.
“It’s something my wife and I talked about last night after [the incident]. For added security, I’d put one outside the garage right where it is and get some video of what’s going on,” Bernstein said.
No suspects have been arrested at this time for Thursday’s incident. St. Louis County police say the investigation is still ongoing.
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