12 cars broken into in 1 night in Clermont neighborhood

Residents want culprit arrested

CLERMONT, Fla. – Residents in a gated community said they want a man arrested after he allegedly broke into at least 12 cars in one night.

Clermont police investigators said they responded to the 3600 block of Eversholt Drive on Sunday morning to find several cars with their windows broken and some with items stolen.

Surveillance video from one home shows a man in a light-colored hooded sweatshirt walking up to a Toyota RAV-4, busting out the driver's side window and crawling inside.

The video shows him using a flashlight to look around before getting out and trying to break the window of the car next to it.

When he can't break the glass, he walks away.

"They had to have jumped the fence," Terri Halter said. "They had to have parked out (by the street) and jumped the fence and come through here."

She guesses her truck was the first vehicle targeted by the thief. She said her passenger side window was shattered, and the inside of her truck had been ransacked.

Two doors down, Nathan Axel said he woke up Sunday morning to a similar situation.

"One of my neighbors said to me, 'You know, Nathan, one of your windows is busted?' I said, 'My car?' They said, 'Yes.'"

His Nissan Altima had a shattered passenger side window, and Axel said his glove box was wide open.

Many residents along the street told News 6 they want the man seen in the surveillance video captured because they want their quiet neighborhood to feel safe again.

"Why? What did we do?" Axel asked. "What made this happen?"

"I moved here because I thought it would be safer," Halter said. "You're not safe anywhere."

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call Clermont police at 352-394-5588.


About the Author

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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