MACON, Ga. — As the temperature rises, so does crime.
We've been hearing from you about car break ins in your neighborhoods and apartment complexes.
We've seen the remnants posted to social media and on neighborhood apps where thieves leave behind bashed-in car windows and scattered items.
Here's what county data says about the reports.
They're going through your trunk, your glovebox, and even smashing out car windows to get in.
According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office crime reports, there have been almost 100 car break-ins or car thefts reported in just the past month.
We saw five cars with broken out windows within two blocks of each other, each one of those leaving a victim behind.
“There's definitely a helplessness that comes with just sitting back and being a spectator to crime,” says Richard Jeter.
Jeter lives at the River Crossing apartments in north Macon.
Last Saturday night, he says his dog was looking out of the window and barking at more than just a passerby in the parking lot.
“We came and looked out the window and there was a young man actually trying every car door. He would go through their glovebox, pop their trunk,” he explains.
Jeter says the man came back for three consecutive nights.
He's notified the apartment's management and the sheriff's office every time, but there's only so much they can do.
“There's absolutely a feeling of helplessness that comes with it. You're taught your whole life that you see a crime being committed -- actions have consequences. By the time the authorities arrive, they're already long gone,” he says.
Jeter says he's thankfully not been victimized, but Dorothy Hardin and her husband Johnny were.
“It just shattered the whole passenger window,” she says.
Hardin lives on Spring Street. She says on Sunday morning, her neighbor let her know her car might've been vandalized.
“It was cracked. It's like something threw something in it,” she says.
There was glass on the seats, consoles, and the back seats.
Hardin says she doesn't feel safe and doesn't know how they'll afford to fix the window.
“We haven’t been able to sleep,” Hardin says. “You're disabled, you're on Social Security. You're just trying to make it from one day to the next. To have something like this happen is really devastating.”
We asked the Bibb County Sheriff's Office about how many car break-ins have happened and where they're happening.
They weren't able to get the most current information to us when we asked, but they're working on it.
In the meantime, we were able to piece together information off the monthly and weekly community reports they publicly share.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says there were more than 1 million car break-ins across the country last year.
About half of those 1 million break-ins were due to driver error.
Passenger cars made up more than 74% of all stolen cars and summer proves to be the worst season for theft.
Some common sense tips?
Take your car keys and valuable items out of the car. Or keep them out of sight.
Park in well-lit areas at night.
Always know your car's license plate and vehicle identification number (VIN).
You can also purchase immobilizing devices or a car recovery system in case your car gets stolen, or possibly catch the thief in the act.