Police officer warns residents about uptick in burglaries in community near Lake Nona

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Neighborhoods near Lake Nona are on high alert after an Orlando police officer said the number of burglaries there are overwhelming.

It’s the latest in a string of car break-ins across Central Florida, in which hundreds of vehicles have been hit.

Earlier this month, a neighborhood in Maitland had a couple dozen vehicles break-ins reported.

And in Altamonte Springs, at least 70 vehicles were broken into while they were parked at apartment complexes and a hotel.

The latest round of home break-ins happened in the Randal Park community near Lake Nona.

Residents are starting to take extra precautions around their homes.

An officer sent out a memo to homeowners, saying police have responded to at least 15 home break-ins in the past two weeks.

The officer posted the message on an online neighborhood group and wrote that the area and the surrounding subdivisions are being overwhelmed with residential burglaries.

The officer said the burglars are breaking front door glass and opening dead bolt locks to get inside.

"I'm afraid for somebody breaking inside the homes. I guess that's my biggest fear,” said resident Larry Zedan.

Orlando police said car break-ins are also up since last year in the December through February timeframe.

They jumped from 745 to 904, police said.

Orange County deputies said they've investigated 457 home break-ins this year, which means they're on track for about 5,000, which is the same number as last year.

Zedan says he's worried that he'll be the next victim, so he installed surveillance cameras outside his house and started a neighborhood watch.

"They're all thinking about installing cameras. They want to put a gate on,” he said. “If someone wants to break in, it's hard to stop these people."

Cox Media Group