Submitted by Impossible_Lunch7649 t3_z52aa1 in providence

Near Hotclub. Unfortunately they took my backpack filled with clothes which has no value to them….. I’m wondering what they do with all the stuff they don’t find useful??? I was one of like 5 in the same street :/

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Dinosquid t1_ixuf6px wrote

What they often do is: walk down the road, pull everything out of the backpack looking for money or anything of value, and then they leave it on the ground.

I bet if you walk around the area around Hot Club you’ll be able to find some of your stuff.

I always see stuff on the grass behind the church at the bottom of Wickenden st. (Right across the off-ramp from Trade Joes)

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Far-Soup5169 t1_ixva034 wrote

I found my stuff in the nearest dumpster. They just discard it asap after checking for valuables.

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myninerides t1_ixv5c4l wrote

Exactly this, my car was broken into under the overpass right there years back. Found the backpack and some of the items in the parking garage structure right on that road.

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401jamin t1_ixun6wl wrote

Leave no bags in sight. They smash windows take the bags open them down the street and dump what they don’t want. My window was smashed a couple years back in front of wild colonial took a backpack with a pair of shoes in it. Now I hide everything

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radioflea t1_ixvhxbq wrote

This! Years ago I purchased fabric that matches my interior so if I have to leave something in my car it meshes in and becomes undetectable.

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ryeyun t1_ixvljjg wrote

This because thieves don't know what's in the bag. Could be clothes or a laptop for all they know.

Also make sure no one is around when you hide things in your car. I hid all my shit when I went running on Blackstone Boulevard a couple of years ago and still had my car broken into. I suspect the thieves might have seen me while I was hiding stuff because nothing was visible from outside the car. My phone and wallet was stolen but I actually managed to find the phone... in a trash bin further up the Boulevard.

I linked my phone's location to my Google account, and luckily my phone was still powered on.

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thatbstrdmike t1_ixunjo8 wrote

Leave your doors unlocked. Helps sometimes.

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badandbroken333 t1_ixvmkzj wrote

I’ve done this on accident and was happy bc they took my change and that’s it. Not even my Prada sunglasses LOL.

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Dinosquid t1_ixwgp5p wrote

I’ve had my window smashed just to steal my change from the ashtray🙃

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Proof-Return-6846 t1_ixua7q9 wrote

Yeah I’ve been seeing piles of glass all around providence, especially on weekends when a lot of people are parked on a backstreet that doesn’t get too much foot traffic

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Blackulor t1_ixudmib wrote

Don’t leave anything in your car. You want the folks cruising around looking in car windows for things to quickly grab to pass yours by. I’m sorry this happened to you.

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MargaretDumont t1_ixujd1l wrote

Yeah even when my bag has nothing valuable in it I throw it in the trunk. Sorry this happened though.

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UneekSole t1_ixuscly wrote

Smash and grabs have been on the rise recently in downtown Providence. Just last weekend my buddy's car and mine were broken into on North Main Street by Harry's burger bar, purp only took coins from the center console. Next time I'll pay for parking where there's an attendant.

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citrus_mystic t1_ixuxzx5 wrote

I work in that area and park on Tockwotton a lot (that side road near the hurricane barrier). There is glass all over the sidewalks on that street because someone (or several people) break windows to get into people’s cars constantly. My coworker drives an Audi SUV and had her window smashed over the summer.

There was a week or so during the summer where they had a cop parked over there every night to try to cut back on these break ins. It stopped for maybe 3 weeks and then started up again.

I think the only reason I haven’t also had my window smashed, is because my car looks like shit lol.

With the cost of replacing a window and whatever they might steal from you, it’s honestly worth shelling out the $20 to park in that lot over there. I’ve never seen any of the cars in the pay-to-park lots have their windows smashed. They’re only going for cars parked on the street.

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radioflea t1_ixvidhq wrote

I’m surprised that they don’t have more cameras over that way with it being Tockwotton but also the concert venue down the street.

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dollrussian t1_ixwa0xp wrote

Reason #3626168 I won’t upgrade my paid off car. She’s missing two hub caps and has a little damage but nobody breaks into her

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jam__1 t1_ixv8kea wrote

Hate to say it but after my buddy got his window smashed the third time he leaves nothing of value in his car and keeps the doors unlocked. No more smashed windows

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spokchewy t1_ixvhavu wrote

In 10 years living in PVD, had my car rummaged through maybe 5+ times and my apartment broken into once via a window AC unit.

The car breakins were generally uneventful aside from my sons RC vehicle that was in the trunk and an old radio taken from an old VW Vanagon.

I caught the thief in the act one day coming home from work for lunch; he had broken into the first floor apartment, took all of the keys, and was trying to steal that VW van.

I had no idea what he was doing when I came home and he was off before I put 2+2 together.

Unfortunately crime is a major memory of mine when living in PVD and Pawtucket.

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Mindless-Rooster-533 t1_iy58a5g wrote

Property crime is, yeah. I've never felt unsafe in Providence for the most part (I also won't go wandering into Chad Brown just for fun), but car break INS do happen annoyingly often

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zzurc t1_ixv9a4r wrote

I lived on west fountain street, down the street from the public safety complex. That neighborhood was constantly getting hit with smash and grabs. It happened to me and a new house mate a year apart. I witnessed the neighbors car getting smashed. It was a kid on a bike. It was a common appearance in the morning seeing newly smashed windows. Dont leave backpacks in the car and if you do cover them with a towel or put it in your trunk.

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DanMarinosDolphins t1_ixw08dj wrote

My sister once left a box of granola bars in her car and a hobo went in and ate them all and left the wrappers.

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Megs0226 t1_ixurdz1 wrote

Probably toss it/dump it. This happened to me years ago near Brown University campus. Right in my parking lot. They saw an old laptop bag that was empty except for a couple pieces of junk mail. I hadn't even thought to hide the laptop bag or bring it inside because it was so unimportant. They smashed my window and a few days later a very kind person found the bag on the side of Angell St. and brought it back to me.

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klink_bones t1_ixvvsfe wrote

Had my car, phone and wallet stolen from me Monday morning while I was at the gym. Haven’t heard a single word back from the police since I reported the stuff missing. Such a shitty feeling having your personal stuff taken.

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financebro91 t1_ixv094e wrote

This happened to me this summer. They not only broke in the window but also hot-wired the car and drove it one or two blocks down the street before dumping it.

Putting a steering wheel lock on your car can be a visible deterrent for future break-ins. Try to angle the steering wheel lock so that it's visible through the windshield to people walking by. Actually probably even have the steering wheel lock touching or almost touching the windshield, so that someone who tries to drive the car without authorization won't be able to steer.

Good luck.

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Enjoi70 t1_ixxes5e wrote

Take everything with you at all times always. No phone chargers sunglasses bags, take it all. Sucks but it’s what has to be done sadly.

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Clubpenguinfeen t1_ixwdp8p wrote

There’s a series of these going on. I work security downtown, we had a few of our guys’ windows broken. Purses stolen. Just last night one of my boys had his window smashed. Took a few valuables from there

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Urbanitesunite t1_ixy3co8 wrote

Im really sorry about that. Unfortunately, the area is known for break ins, especially in spots not near building entrances/ cameras.

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