INDIANAPOLIS — Stolen bags, broken windows and petty crime are what people in the Irvington neighborhood on the east side are dealing with this summer.
For the second time in three months, a woman who lives in the area had her car window busted out and her backpack stolen from inside. Steve Henry, a 20-year Irvington resident, found the backpack in his alley both times and returned it.
"They just dump it out on the ground," Steve Henry said. "There is always stuff everywhere. You try to pick through it to see if you can find something that might be an identifier."
It's become an unfortunate reality for Henry.
"The summer has been busy, for sure," he said. "I've found three bags behind the house in a couple of months, which seems excessive to me. But, then again, I don't run around stealing people's stuff.
"They just dump it out on the ground there is always stuff everywhere you try to pick through it to see if you can find something that might have an identifier. I found checkbooks back here and IDs."
Two days ago, he found another backpack with books, paperwork and even a stethoscope scattered nearby.
"I actually found this bag a couple of months ago. Same bag, same spot in the alley," Henry said.
The backpack belongs to a woman who lives down the street. She does not want to be identified, and she saw Henry's post on the Irvington Chatter Facebook page saying he found her bag in the alley once again.
"I woke up in the morning and there was just a giant hole in my window," she said. "I was so happy to see someone post on that Facebook page. There's my green backpack stuff all spewed about. It's kind of a bittersweet thing like, hey someone found it, but someone went through it again."
She said this is serving as her final lesson to not leave the bag in the car, and it's one Henry hopes others follow. He wants his neighbors to be aware that thefts like this are happening in the area.
"It's that feeling of invasiveness, for lack of a better term. Nobody wants that. Everybody wants to feel safe and secure with their property," Henry said. "Unfortunately, we live in a world where people will just take stuff. It doesn't have to have any value to them at all."
According to IMPD's online records, there have been more than 40 thefts in Irvington since April 13. It's a good remind to lock your doors and take anything of value out of your car because thieves are targeting the area.
