JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Friday, Action News Jax heard from the owner of a vehicle that had been stolen and used to ram into an Orange Park smoke shop earlier this month. Turns out, a couple of the suspects involved in this auto theft and burglary were the same people involved in the GameStop burglaries from earlier this month too, according to JSO’s arrest reports.
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While this happened about a month ago, one victim is still reeling from this crime.
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Action News Jax Annette Gutierrez spoke with the woman who owned the Kia used in the burglary, and she wanted to remain anonymous. She said she hasn’t had a vehicle for about a month now, since hers was completely totaled.
“This has been very, very hard for us at this time,” the Kia owner said. “It has been very, very disheartening for me -- for myself and for my husband.”
On Jan. 2, a group of teenagers used a stolen vehicle to smash through Smoky Bubble smoke shop.
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Action News Jax spoke to the SUV’s owner by phone. She didn’t want to reveal her real voice -- but said she is still recovering from losing her silver 2020 Kia Sportage, since it was destroyed.
“And it’s a struggle trying to go from one place to another, trying to find a car that we can possibly get without putting hardly any money down, because we don’t have it to put down,” the Kia owner said.
She’s been in a rental car since then and says she is still paying off maintenance for a car she no longer has.
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“I just had put new tires and stuff on the car that I’m still paying for and I don’t have the vehicle,” the Kia owner said. “So I have to laugh sometimes to keep from crying.”
Kristen Thompson works at Smoky Bubble and says they are still reeling from the smash and grab too.
“It makes all of us shop owners feel targeted and vulnerable and worried,” the Kia owner said.
This week, JSO announced they arrested five teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 for burglarizing GameStop’s in the area.
Today, Action News Jax obtained the arrest reports of these teenagers -- which revealed they broke into at least two stores on Dec. 30 -- the GameStop’s on Normandy Blvd. and on 103rd St.
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The reports also indicate two of the teenagers -- a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old -- were involved in the Smokey Bubble smash and grab.
Thompson said she is happy they are paying the consequences.
“We hope these teens have learned their lesson and hopefully this won’t damage the rest of their life,” Thompson said.
The Kia owner said it’s sad situation for everyone involved.
“Being victimized, and also these kids that are out here in the streets, doing whatever they want to do all times a night; both things breaks my heart,” the Kia owner said.
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Her message to parents:
“Please just keep up with your kids,” the Kia owner said. “Their lives [are] just going down the tubes because they have no direction.”
JSO’s reports indicate the suspects had used a stolen Kia or Hyundai in most of these burglaries.
According to JSO -- more than 4,000 cars were stolen last year and about 1,000 of them had been Kia and Hyundai’s. At least another 1,000 of these specific types of vehicles were attempted to be stolen too.
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As for the Kia owner, she said was due to return her rental today, but she had to extend the date. She is still working on buying a new car.
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