JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is searching for an armed burglar who shot at a homeowner during a car break-in attempt in Murray Hill, leaving residents on edge in what they describe as a normally quiet neighborhood.
The incident occurred early Tuesday morning, around 1 a.m., on Wolfe Street, about two blocks southeast of Post Street, when a young woman briefly went into her parents’ home to pick up some items from inside. Within moments of leaving her vehicle, an armed man jumped into her car.
Shattered glass from a car window and a crime scene investigator’s rubber glove were still on the ground with News4JAX visited the area to talk with neighbors about what happened.
Neighbors who spoke with us asked to remain anonymous because police have yet to capture the armed burglar despite an intense search by ground and air.
According to neighbors, the woman’s mother first spotted the man in her daughter’s vehicle.
When the woman’s stepfather approached to investigate, the burglar fired a shot through the back passenger window before jumping out of the car and running away. No one was injured in the incident.
Despite a search for the suspected armed burglar, police did not locate him.
“Knowing he’s still out there is pretty spooky. Getting in and out of your own vehicle late at night on your own block is very scary,” said one neighbor.
Another resident expressed concern that the incident would disrupt the area’s improving safety record.
“We are very concerned because we haven’t had this issue for years. It felt like the crime was going down, and it’s gotten safer and secure, and to have this happen again is alarming,” the neighbor said.
JSO said the investigation is ongoing and that the agency has not been able to identify the burglar.