A string of overnight vehicle burglaries in the Mirada community of San Antonio has neighbors on alert and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office (PSO) urging residents across the county to lock up every night. The warning applies to all unincorporated Pasco communities, including Land O' Lakes and Lutz.
Just after midnight Wednesday, July 29, surveillance cameras captured what appears to be a young man pulling on truck doors and climbing inside at least one vehicle, according to Tampa Bay 28. Resident Megan Goktepe said her husband's AirPods were stolen from the truck. A PSO detective helped recover the AirPods.
About 10 minutes later, neighbor Wayne Verschuere's Ring camera caught someone running along the side of his house.
"Like 12:30 in the morning, my Ring camera on the side of my house went off," Verschuere said. "I looked at it, saw that there was somebody running by the side of my house, and obviously at 12:30 in the morning, probably not, you know, a good sign."
A third neighbor shared a photo from that night showing a person near vehicles in the area. Resident Katie Pace said the incidents have rattled a community that long felt secure, calling it "unnerving" and "startling."
No arrest has been made.
PSO confirmed it is actively investigating the July 29 Mirada incidents.
Part of a broader pattern
The break-ins come less than two weeks after the Pasco Sheriff's Office publicly warned that auto burglaries are rising county-wide. In a July 17 post on X, the agency said it is seeing an increase in auto burglaries and urged residents to follow the #9PMRoutine every night.
That pattern extends well beyond Mirada. In June 2026, PSO arrested a 12-year-old in the Tidal Pond Drive area of New Port Richey after surveillance footage showed the juvenile pulling on car door handles and entering several unlocked vehicles, according to a PSO community alert. The juvenile took a handgun from one car. In Wesley Chapel, PSO is still seeking the public's help identifying a suspect who entered a vehicle on Post Oak Boulevard on June 14.
What Land O' Lakes and Lutz residents should do
The sheriff's office created the #9PMRoutine in 2016 after a spike in vehicle thefts. The agency's July community newsletter lays out four steps residents should complete every night:
- Remove all valuables from your vehicle and lock the doors.
- Lock all exterior doors to your home.
- Close and lock all windows.
- Close and lock your garage.
PSO notes that when criminals cannot quickly access a vehicle, they move on. Locked doors remain the most effective deterrent for these crimes of opportunity.
Anyone with information on vehicle burglaries in Pasco County can call the Crime Tips Line at 1-800-706-2488 or submit a tip online at pascosheriff.com/tips.
