Two Citrus College students had their cars broken into in the S4 parking lot on two separate occasions, the Department of Campus Safety said in a warning to all students.
The first incident occurred between 3:30 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. on May 12 and the the second took place between 3:40 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on May 15.The incident on May 12 showed no signs of a forced entry into the vehicle, but the student reported items were missing from the car.
The passenger window was shattered in the second incident May 15, with items stolen from inside the vehicle, according to the warning.
Citrus student Andrea Cisneros received a text message from campus safety telling her that they were concerned about her car.
“I thought it wasn’t gonna be that bad but I saw my passenger side window shattered into pieceson the floor and on the seat and I just felt devastated,” Cisneros said. “My first car and my first year of college and it’s already broken into? One of my bags was stolen which had my clothes, makeup and glasses. That night, it was hard to sleep because who knows when it’ll happen again and where.”
She later found her bag left on campus, but it was missing her glasses and wallet.
As of May 23, Campus Safety has no suspects or information on the burglars. However, Campus Safety has moved to heighten watch over the parking lots.
Campus Safety supervisor Ben Macias said it is a collaborative effort of Campus Safety, Glendora police and the Citrus students to watch over and report any suspicious activity in the parking lots.
“For security reasons, we can’t say, but we have strategies to watch over the parking lots,” Macias said. “This hasn’t happened in around three years, so two in a week is pretty big.”
In the past two weeks, Azusa Police Department map data shows that there have been seven thefts from vehicles reported in Azusa. Three have been along Alosta Avenue near Azusa Pacific University, and two occurred near the Gold Line station on Azusa Avenue.
Car incidents have not occurred as frequently at other community colleges around the area.
According to the 2015 Clery Report, only one car theft had been reported the three prior years at Citrus, as opposed to other colleges in the area, such as at Cerritos College, where 36 car thefts occurred during the time period. Seven occurred at Chaffey College, six at Pasadena City College and 21 at Mt. San Antonio College.
Being a rare occurrence at Citrus, Campus Safety reminded students ways to reduce the possibility of a burglary or theft of their vehicle.
Campus Safety encouraged students to make sure to close and lock all doors, to keep valuable items out of sight, to be aware of surroundings, to park in well-lit areas and to be accompanied by a friend when walking through the parking lot.
Campus Safety also encouraged students to contact the department at 626-914-8611 or the Glendora Police Department at 626-914-8250 for any suspicious activities on campus.
