The Mariner’s Ridge neighborhood in East Oahu, Hawaii is known for being a safe and peaceful place.
Located on a ridge with only one way in and out of the neighborhood, there is little unknown foot traffic and neighbors feel comfortable leaving doors open.
However, a recent rash of car break-ins has left neighbors with a shattered sense of security and has them turning to Nextdoor to take action. Vigilant neighbor Justin Scrofani captured surveillance footage of a man breaking into a neighbor’s vehicle and stealing a remote controlled helicopter before trying other car door handles. Concerned, he immediately shared the video on Nextdoor to alert his neighbors of the crime.
After posting to Nextdoor, Justin learned that his neighbor’s car was not the only one to have been recently broken into. Multiple neighbors began sharing their own stories of recent car break-ins, and that’s when the neighborhood realized this was an issue that called for immediate action.
“In the last couple of weeks, a lot of the neighbors have been noticing a lot more break-ins in the cars. A couple cars got stolen, in fact,” Justin revealed.
Motivated by the conversation on Nextdoor, dozens of neighbors attended a community board meeting to brainstorm different ways to protect their community and put a stop to the crime spree. Justin, who has lived in Mariner’s Ridge for over 20 years, said that the community board meetings were typically poorly attended, but that significantly changed when neighbors came together on Nextdoor.
“I originally got onto Nextdoor because it was a good way to connect with neighbors, but in these past few weeks we’ve seen how helpful it is when it comes to crime and safety,” Justin said.
Neighbors have also noticed an increased police presence in their community since these recent break-ins, something they attribute to Nextdoor and the dozens of neighbors who are determined to take back their peaceful neighborhood.
Originally reported by NBC and CBS Honolulu.