Man out thousands of dollars after car break-in at Philadelphia park

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- One man is out thousands of dollars after his car was broken into at the Belmont Plateau over the weekend in Philadelphia.

Police say this is the most recent incident in a string of car break-ins.

The Belmont Plateau is known for its panoramic views of the Philadelphia skyline.

"It was the middle of the day, the sun was shining, and there were other people riding their bikes," recalled Taras Grosh.

Grosh and his three young sons parked at the Plateau's lower lot on Saturday afternoon, but came back to find their truck had its back passenger window smashed out.

"We have a Rivian, and a Rivian is an electric vehicle," explained Grosh. "So the moment somebody came by, it started recording. Then, of course, lo and behold, we see the individual come up to the car, take a screwdriver, press on the rear passenger window, and fracture the bottom half. He was able to push everything in and get right in."

The park has become a recent target for vehicle thefts.

According to the 6abc data journalism team, there have been 13 break-ins so far this year, including two each on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

In the last year, the Belmont Plateau has had 375 vehicle thefts, which is up 16% from the previous year.

"I never experienced anything like that and I usually come here at night so that's crazy," said Iliana Arce-Wooten from Northeast Philadelphia.

Grosh told Action News he shared his car's surveillance footage with Philadelphia police, hoping it would help them find the suspect.

"I offered up the videos and pictures. They declined at the time," he said. "They did take a detailed description of the individual."

To make matters worse, the damage to Grosh's window comes as a big shock.

"The initial quote is $4,300 because it's a combination of a window, special seals that are one-time use, as well as the damage caused by the assailant when he jumped in he scraped up all the paint," he said.

There are signs posted in the park to remove all valuables from vehicles before leaving them unattended.

Grosh said he saw the written sign that said not to park there unless you wanted your windows smashed, but he thought it was a joke.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for Grosh. For anyone traveling to Belmont Park, the lower lot where the victim parked is much less traveled.

It is advised that the safer parking lot to use is at the top of Belmont Plateau since it has much more foot traffic and police patrol the area.