IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Residents at the Woodridge Apartment Complex in Irondequoit are fed up with a recent string of car thefts. They’re calling on property managers to help prevent these dangerous situations.

“It was pretty scary,” neighbor Katherine Dalay said. “I got behind another car to keep myself safe.”

Irondequoit Police said five cars were recently stolen from Woodridge, with four of them taken just this month. Officers say they are seeing an uptick in cars being stolen from apartment complexes.

Some of the stolen cars have been involved in armed robberies, a person being hit by a car, and other crimes. Dalay’s car was stolen last night.

“I was very upset. Sadly, I kind of thought it was going to happen. Because they keep hitting our parking lot over and over so I was kind of like a sitting duck with the car there,” she said.

Irondequoit Police say many apartment complexes have dark secluded parking areas which helps thieves go unnoticed. Dalay recommended more lighting in the parking lot to building management.

“They just kind of said it’s happening everywhere- there’s really not much they can do about it,” Dalay said.

Denise Alessi’s car is typically parked in a spot that is now empty. When she came downstairs on Aug. 5, she didn’t find her car. She found a pile of broken glass.

“I couldn’t believe the car was gone, even though I knew it probably was. It just wasn’t registering that they finally got my car. This was the third attempt here in the same spot,” Alessi said.

Alessi says she feels violated and unsafe. She got her Kia upgraded with the anti-theft system and a steering wheel lock but still had her car stolen. When it was recovered, they found the wheel lock broken off and thrown in the back seat.

“And I’m afraid to get my car back when it is all fixed and like brand new. What’s going to happen is it going to get stolen again. It’s like a sitting duck out here. Should we sleep in our cars?” Alessi said.

News10NBC reached out to Woodridge managers who said they’re working to implement additional security measures to prevent future thefts but did not provide specifics on what those measures are.

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