Verdigris Families Are On Edge After Thief Breaks Into Nine Cars

Nine families are victims after a thief carried out an early-morning car break-in spree. Security cameras caught the whole thing.

Police say car break-ins are often crimes of opportunity.

Thieves walk the streets looking for unlocked cars, then steal whatever they find inside.

It was hours before the sun comes up in Verdigris, and this man was lurking around Lisa Fisher's house trying to keep his face covered.

“It just gives me shivers,” she said. “I was nauseated. My stomach turned just knowing I was on the other side of that door, sleeping with my children. Made me sick to my stomach.

Fisher's security cameras show the man looking closely in their windows.

He couldn't get in their trucks, but that doesn't make them feel any less violated.

“Just knowing he was right here and touching my car… I'm just terrified now,” Fisher said.

Fisher said they checked their security cameras because someone broke into their neighbor's car early Thursday morning.

“You know, it's scary,” Willow Young said. “We sleep here. We live here. We have kids.”

Verdigris police say the thief hit at least nine vehicles on Thursday.

VPD Chief Jack Shackelford said the man stole wallets, a chainsaw, and the most troubling item, a handgun.

“That means that there's a gun out there floating around and the bad guy's got it, so we're definitely concerned about the gun,” Shackelford said.

Shackelford said the clear security camera footage is a step in the right direction for recovering that gun and getting the thief off the streets.

“I want everyone to see his picture because it's not just our neighborhood, he's definitely... he's got a plan and he's gonna go somewhere else tomorrow night,” Young said. "If he's here today, then maybe he's in Broken Arrow tomorrow or he's in Tulsa or Coweta." 

Police said three victims claim their doors were locked.

The chief said there are ways for thieves to get in cars now without prying doors open or breaking windows.

His best advice? Don't leave valuables in your car.

Police say the video showed what appeared to be the thief's vehicle. Shackelford says it appeared to be a white-colored Dodge Charger or Dodge Challenger.

Anyone with information about the crime or the man seen in the video is asked to call police.