Increased security in Shores after teen crime wave

The case of two masked bandits who furtively searched Indian River Shores residents' unlocked cars and garages from Pebble Bay Estates to Beach Road John's Island condos earlier this month hinges on DNA evidence and fingerprints left in a stolen luxury car, taken on a joyride and abandoned in Gifford.

Two suspects have been identified – both juveniles – and one of them arrested, but no charges have yet been filed for the June 13 crimes.

John's Island security and the Indian River Shores Public Safety Department have been on high alert since the teens reportedly wandered undetected through town looking for valuables in vehicles at Pebble Bay Estates, on Sunrise Terrace across from City Hall, and then around 2:45 a.m. entered John's Island near the South Ocean Gate on foot, likely by jumping a chain-link fence.

Shores detectives work with technicians from the Indian River Sheriff's Office and detectives familiar with the Gifford area and similar property crimes. Regarding the teenage suspects, who are known in previous incidents to be non-violent thieves, Shores Deputy Chief Mark Shaw said, “We're pretty confident in both cases, but one should be a hit safe and we hope it will give us what we need. the second.

“We think they were dropped off, but we're still not sure,” Shaw said, adding that no suspicious vehicles were captured by the city's license plate reader cameras during the right time, so the thieves could have headed north from the airport on foot. Vero Beach city limits at 7-Eleven.

An email sent from John's Island Property Owners Association security to residents stated: “Both individuals were wearing ski masks and gloves. The individuals stole two bicycles from an unknown location and drove them to the condominium at 650 Beach Road, where they left them and stole a vehicle.

The young suspects, who were seen on John's Island video feeds in several locations while viewing the footage, entered the garages of four Beach Road condo buildings, rummaging everywhere for valuables and money. 'money. None of the vehicles showed signs of forced entry and nothing significant was stolen from the cars or garages – with the exception of the Audi SUV which was recovered from Gifford and impounded for processing on the crime scene.

“At 3:48 a.m., the two individuals were seen on video leaving the property in the stolen vehicle, outside the east main gate. These individuals remained on the property for approximately 45 to 50 minutes,” the alert states.

Shaw said Shores officers “intensified their patrols overnight.” Regarding unlocked vehicles and garages, John's Island General Manager Mike Korpar said, “Obviously, we have reminded our residents to take extra precautions moving forward. »

Korpar said he could not provide any information other than what was contained in the email submission because the case is an ongoing investigation.

Residents and visitors may notice that special care is now taken at John's Island entrance gates to verify the identity and note the license plate of each vehicle, even vehicles of vendors or services that enter and exit daily. Access to the doors will be limited during evening hours. Exit doors will not open automatically, so a security guard will have to manually let people out.

The alert from John's Island Security highlighted the rarity of the breach and the efforts being made to ensure it does not happen again.

“This is only the second incident of this nature to occur in 54 years. We take great pride in our security operations to keep this community safe. The Security Department maintains a video/audio system for all entry/exit gates on John’s Island, which includes recording all license plates for review purposes,” the email from John’s Island Security states.

Officers have doubled their perimeter patrols, working in tandem with Indian River Shores public safety officers to maintain better visibility at night.

“Customers, vendors and contractors must show identification and are entered into a digital database to gain access to the property. We have a 24/7 security patrol on our 1,600 acres and over 70 cameras throughout the community,” the community alert states.

John's Island officials assured residents that a comprehensive audit of John's Island Security Department operations and procedures is underway. “We will take all necessary measures to improve the safety and security of the community. This includes research into AI video analytics technology, increased staffing and nighttime patrols, increased cameras, and 24/7 proactive monitoring of our community.