Window-Smashing Thieves Strike YMCA Parking Lot for Second Time, Cops Say

For the second time in two weeks, a purse has been stolen from the inside of a locked car parked at the Wyckoff YMCA, township Police Chief Benjamin Fox announced in a release Thursday.

According to Fox, a Ridgewood woman had been parked in the lot for about an hour Thursday morning when she left the building to find the window of her car smashed out and her purse, which had been left visibly on the seat, stolen.

Police say they are not yet sure what exactly was in the purse when it was stolen.

Last week, a woman's handbag was stolen from a seat in her car in a very similar incident, also in the YMCA parking lot.

Fox pointed out that in both Wyckoff incidents, the windows were smashed out during daylight hours.

“Similar incidents are also being reported in nearby towns,” Fox said. He also issued a warning for residents.

“Valuables should be stored in the vehicle trunk or somehow out of sight to avoid being the victim of such a crime, [and] at all times lock your vehicle,” he said.

After an incident last week, a spokesperson for the YMCA said the popular facility plans to install outdoor security cameras as part of its 2014 security upgrade plan.