CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A string of car break-ins at a NoDa apartment complex has residents speaking out, but they’re not the only ones seeing an increase in vandalism. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says it’s on their radar too.

What You Need To Know

  •  A string of car break-ins at a NoDa apartment complex has residents speaking out

  • The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says car thefts and break-ins are on the rise

  • Police urge residents to lock their cars and always bring valuables inside

What was intended to be an afternoon out with her dog quickly turned to disaster for 26-year-old Suki Pannu.

She’s a resident at Bainbridge apartments in NoDa and works from home.

When Pannu went to the garage for her afternoon outing, she discovered one of her car’s windows shattered.

“Initially, I was just shocked,” Pannu said. “The windows are busted. It was basically ransacked. Everything was taken out of the middle console and glove compartment.”“Initially, I was just shocked,” Pannu said. “The windows are busted. It was basically ransacked. Everything was taken out of the middle console and glove compartment.”

According to Pannu, all of this happened in her apartment’s garage.

“It is a violating feeling to know that someone was in your property, and you had no clue of when or how,” Pannu said.

She said her first instinct was to call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

“They took pictures of everything. Finally, they dusted the outside of the passenger door for fingerprints, and they did find quite a few prints,” Pannu said.

CMPD says vehicle thefts and break-ins are on the rise. In response, they’re urging residents to do the “9 p.m. routine,” which means lock your doors, and avoid leaving valuables out.

But Pannu is one of many victims feeling the impacts of these break-ins. Jane Butler, also a complex resident, says other break-ins have happened.

“It’s not fair. And we live here because we’re sold a sense of security, and to be let down by that so aggressively ... it’s just really frustrating,” Butler said.

Butler blames the previously broken garage door and key fobs for the uptick. She says both provided access to unwelcome visitors. Apartment complex officials said they reached out to police the night the garage door broke and say it has since been fixed. 

In a response to Spectrum News 1, the apartment complex said, in part: “the well-being of our residents is our top priority. The garage door was repaired and is opening and closing properly. We contacted CMPD the night the garage door broke.”