NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— A Newport News woman says her car was stolen, and then days later -- her rental car was broken into. Both cars were locked.
"I was like oh my God. What happened?"
It's a question Susan Massengill still doesn't have the answer to. She tells me her car was parked in her assigned neighborhood parking spot when it was stolen.
"I'm like 63 now, so I'm like okay maybe I've gotten senile, and I parked it in the wrong place and I forgot. But I walked around and of course, didn't find my car. Then I said well maybe it's been towed accidentally," said Susan Massengill, a victim of car theft.
But that wasn't the case.
"I called them to see if they have accidentally towed me, but it wasn't it was gone," said Massengill.
Massengill realized last Thursday morning her car was gone. She believes it was stolen Wednesday night. It all happened on Brookside drive in Kiln Creek.
"This is a really nice neighborhood and I have not been aware of any bad things that have happened," said Massengill.
But she said she now feels paranoid in the neighborhood she calls home. Shortly after her car was stolen, Massengill's insurance company provided her with a rental car. But then someone broke into that car.
"They went into my glove box and center console," said Massengill. She showed the aftermath to our News 3 reporter Kelsey Jones.
"Are you happy that you didn't have any valuables in this car that was taken," asked Jones.
"Yeah! I can't afford to lose everything else," said Massengill.
"I don't know what else we can do but what watch out for each other," said Leslie Perry, a concerned neighbor.
Perry says she would like to see more of a security presence patrolling the neighborhoods and more cameras to pick up on crimes.
When looking at the number of car thefts reported in Newport News, police tell News 3 that from January until now there have been 230. Last year they had 247 for the same time period, that's fewer than last year.
However, Massengill is one of the lucky ones. She told Jones police called her Wednesday to let her know her car was found, but they didn't tell her where. So Jones called the officer assigned to her case to get more details.
"I'm sorry but the officer you dialed is not available right now. If you would like a callback press one."
Jones called the officer twice and did not get ahold of him. But Massengill is just hoping her car is in the same condition as the last time she saw it and has a message for the person responsible.
"I personally think they need to get their life together and find a way to make a living that's not hurting other people," said Massengill.
