Thieves targeting unlocked cars in Bucks County neighborhood

A rash of car break-ins happening in one Bucks County neighborhood.

Police say a group of thieves are taking cash and computers out of vehicles - and in one break-in, they even took a gun.

Officials are urging residents in and around Buckingham Township to lock up their vehicles and their garages too.

It happens every spring in neighborhoods like this and police say garage and driveway thefts jump.

Police say it is young people hooked on drugs trying to raise fast cash.

"I think it's really scary. You don't expect that to happen in a neighborhood like this," said resident Lindsay Keegan. "But I guess it just teaches you that you should lock your car no matter where you live."

It's a good lesson that a lot of folks in the suburbs have not learned yet.

Police say there were at least 4 vehicle and garage burglaries overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning.

There were no signs of forced entry and police say the doors were left unlocked.

"It was unlocked cars that were broken into and then apparently one or two garages," said Donna Cawthorne, Neighborhood Assosciation President.

The Villages at Buckingham was not the only location. Paist Road in the Mechanicsville section of the township was targeted as well.

One resident reported seeing a 4-door sedan with 3 men inside pull into her driveway around 3 a.m.

But the Villages at Buckingham was the hardest hit.

On East Dorchester Street, a 45 caliber handgun, laptop computer and some men's jewelry were taken from a vehicle.

There was no sign of forced entry.

Buckingham resident Josh Briskin is familiar with the criminal element and does not hesitate to point the finger.

"Professionals like guys I used to represent aren't sloppy. It sounds like kids and drugs," he said.

Police say these types of thefts traditionally increase as the weather warms up.

They warn residents should make sure their vehicles and garages are secure and don't leave valuables in plain view.

"You think that just because you live in a middle-upper class neighborhood that there is no crime. And there are crimes of opportunity everywhere," said resident Petya Dimitroba.

Buckingham's police force is small but residents tell Action News overnight that patrolling has increased.