JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly 20 storage units at a Westside facility were burglarized, leaving thousands of dollars worth of personal belongings stolen.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of burglaries that hit 18 units at the Extra Space Storage facility on 103rd Street between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Locks and latches were cut. Doors were pried open at the gated property with multiple surveillance cameras.
One of the victims who spoke with NewsJAX said more than $4,000 worth of construction equipment was stolen from his unit.
He said he was shocked to learn his unit was not the only one targeted by thieves.
“I was amazed that 18 of them were hit that fast overnight and I didn’t get a call or receive any information until 4:30 the following day about what happened,” the man who wished to not be identified said.
He said this hit would affect his income because it hinders his job.
“Financially, it hit me pretty hard because that’s everyday stuff I use on my job sites,” he said. “That’s going to set me back because I don’t know how long it will take for me to recoup all my equipment so I can continue doing what I do.”
JSO was reviewing surveillance cameras on Friday. The man said he didn’t doubt if more than one person was involved.
“There is no way, especially washers and dryers, there is no way only one person can do that by themselves. My generator was about 250 lbs,” he said.
News4JAX reached out to the facility’s manager, who lives on the property. According to a spokesperson for corporate, the manager was on vacation at the time of the break-ins.
The spokesperson also said managers are not encouraged to intervene when a crime is being committed.
The spokesperson also said someone from the corporate office was planning to visit to see how security could be improved at that location.
Renters are also encouraged to have renters insurance to cover cases such as this.