SAN ANTONIO – With the holiday season in full swing, popular shopping centers can become prime targets for car burglaries as more people hit the stores for gift shopping.
KSAT created an interactive map showing where car burglaries were reported at popular San Antonio shopping centers from Jan. 1 to Nov. 20 of this year.
Texas law defines a vehicle burglary as a person breaking into or entering a vehicle, without the consent of the owner, with the intent to commit any felony or theft.
A vehicle burglary is different from motor theft and grand theft auto, which is when someone takes possession of a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Here’s how many car burglaries were reported at local shopping centers:
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Alamo Quarry Market: 26
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Ingram Park Mall: 24
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North Star Mall: 9
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Rolling Oaks Mall: 3
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Shops at Rivercenter: 18
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South Park Mall: 35
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The Rim: 63
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The Shops at La Cantera: 15
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Village at Stone Oak: 31
Data was obtained from the LexisNexis community crime map and shows reported car burglaries at businesses, in parking lots or parking garages and restaurants. Some car burglaries were reported in the same block addresses, which is why clusters can be seen in certain areas.
Zoom into the interactive map and click the numbers below:
Data breakdown
The highest concentration of reported car burglaries was at The Rim, near the Santikos Palladium, where 19 break-ins were reported.
The 19 break-ins occurred from January to October, with three reportedly happening on March 14.
Other areas with high concentrations include South Park Mall, where at least 35 car burglaries were reported in total, and the Village at Stone Oak, which had 31.
“That’s just kind of sad and tragic all around,” said Anthony Pastrano, who was shopping at the Rim. “Obviously don’t want anyone to have any of their stuff stolen, especially because some people may not have the money replaced from what was stolen.”
“That’s always concerning. … That’s always sad to hear that things like that are happening, and hopefully SAPD finds those people who are doing it,” Pastrano said.
Macario Rosas said he always locks his truck and doesn’t keep anything in it.
“I always take my personal belongings anywhere that I go shop,” Rosas said.
San Antonio police recommend the following tips to protect your vehicle:
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Lock your car
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Don’t leave valuables in the car
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Don’t leave bags or backpacks in plain sight
“It’s Christmas … it’s family time,” Pastrano said. “And to ruin that is not great.”
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