String of Car Break-Ins Reported on STJ

Officials from the Virgin Islands National Park are warning beachgoers not to leave valuables in their locked vehicles following a broad daylight break-in of a vehicle.

“On Aug. 2, sometime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Maho Bay parking lot, someone smashed in a window of a rental Jeep, “ said Rick Gupman, acting superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park. “The occupants had left in plain sight a number of items, including a wallet and a purse. All of the cash was stolen, but the wallet was returned to the vehicle,” he said.

Gupman said the occupants reported the break-in to their car rental agent but did not notify National Park or V.I. Police Department officers until the rental company urged them to file a report.

“It’s possible that they were so happy to get their wallet back, they weren’t going to report it,” Gupman said.

The St. John VIPD blotter listed three other incidents in the past month involving smashed-in car windows. – A woman in Estate Enighed reported that the rear glass of her vehicle was damaged on July 25.

– A visitor to Cinnamon Bay reported that his car was broken into and $2,000 was removed from his wife’s bag on July 24.

– Another woman from Enighed reported that someone broke the passenger side glass on her van parked on Hill Street on July 7.

Gupman said that it’s important to report all break-ins so that law enforcement officers can patrol more effectively.

Shared content for Virgin Islands Source and St. John Tradewinds.