A string of overnight car burglaries and thefts in Fort Myers Shores has residents on edge and demanding accountability.
Jaimb Zabala was taking out the trash early Friday morning when he discovered his car had been vandalized.
"Glass on the ground, and I look at it - they broke my window, Zabala said. "The police think they are outsiders."
Zabala is one of several victims who say their vehicles were broken into or stolen in the on Caribbean Boulevard, near Palm Beach Boulevard
Sean Williams, another resident, said both of his vehicles were targeted.
"We have two cars, one got stolen, the other one got broken into," Williams said.
Williams shared home surveillance video that shows a suspect driving away with his car on Caribbean Boulevard around 3:30 a.m. He said the Lee County Sheriff’s Office told him several other vehicles were also stolen, and some appeared to have been hot-wired.
Detectives later located Williams’ car abandoned in Cape Coral, near Northeast 8th Place and Northeast 12th Street.
“They said it was ditched on the side of the road,” Williams said. “The car happened to be going right past Cape Coral Police Department.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that detectives are speaking with victims and witnesses and are actively pursuing leads. They are urging anyone with information about the thefts to contact Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.
Gulf Coast News also reached out to the Cape Coral Police Department to see if they will be assisting the Lee County Sheriff's Office with this investigation.
The sheriff's office is also urging residents to make sure their vehicles are locked at night, and to take valuables inside.
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