Thievery? Anyone experienced thieves in Fajardo

Number one source are the politicians. They will steal anything not nail down.
The last time somebody tried to assault me I took his knive away and whipped him with it. Never had an issue after that. Saw him a few times but never came close to me again.
What happened?

Three ways to handle it:
1) if you have proof call the cops and file a complain, but likely he will be out until the court sees the case
2) Find him in a dark alley and whipped him good
3) Find somebody else to whip him for you.

LoL... ok... well last night someone came through our gated community after cutting a chainlink fence and stole from some storage places... I lost a new generator, some tools, and a low profile car jack...some one right down from me lost some tools that he uses for his fiberglass business I think... we called the cops when we saw what had happened but as of yet 10hrs later still no police to file a report to after calling them twice...tomorrow I'm going to the police station to file a report but I guess nothing will happen then either...

So sorry to hear of you and your neighbors loss! I know how bad it can be when the tools of your trade are stolen, or anything for that matter. Doesn't sound too promising with the police. Wish I could offer something other than sympathy!

Sorry that you and your neighbor had losses. You would figure that a gated community is safe. I have a friend who is a single mom who lives in a gated community in Fajardo and she did it so she and her daughter would be safe. As of now there haven't been any incidents in her community. Not sure what the name of the place is.

Definitely keep on top of the cops. I guess that it isn't as important to them as to the victims of crime and I don't believe that they were all busy out chasing other thieves.

I hope that you are able to at least get some stuff back and that they are caught.

Tonie

Since nobody saw anything, all I can suggest is to check with the neibors to see if any of them had a camera capture. Keep on the cops, see if the gated community management also can put some pressure on the police and you and the neiborgs should insist on better security.
You may want to install cameras and sensors to detect somebody walking around your property. If you have an alarm go off they will run away and if you or somebody get an image, then maybe you can prosecute them.

Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry this has happened to you and your neighbor!  It can be really upsetting and the invasive feeling that will sometimes happen.  Rey, has some good suggestions.  Hopefully, they will catch the thieves and maybe get back some of your things.

ReyP wrote:

Number one source are the politicians. They will steal anything not nail down.
The last time somebody tried to assault me I took his knive away and whipped him with it. Never had an issue after that. Saw him a few times but never came close to me again.
What happened?

Three ways to handle it:
1) if you have proof call the cops and file a complain, but likely he will be out until the court sees the case
2) Find him in a dark alley and whipped him good
3) Find somebody else to whip him for you.

I am with Rey on the last 2, you will be surprised how much is handled this way. Cops are good, don't get me wrong but the legal system is complicated to say the least.

First of all sorry..but please don't anyone start the "Crime happens everywhere in the World argument". It is sooo obvious that there is good and bad...and pros and cons to living in any place.

In my opinion there is no good or bad area in the island....crime is widespread and can happen anywhere. There are a lot of Robberies that happen at Gas Stations and Fast Food Restaurants and Car Theft etc. I hear all the time about Robberies in Gated Communities. My house was robbed years ago and they pretty much stole everything. I thought there would be an investigation....ha...of course not.  They most the Police will do is file a report and tell you that they are "looking".  Robberies are rarely solved in PR and it would be a miracle if you ever got your stuff back.

Banco Popular in Rincon was robbed last Winter. Personally I have not been robbed or mugged yet during the last 4 years.

My cousin keeps large dogs on her property. I keep two dogs that bark at anything. This probably helps as a deterrent.

.

Sorry but crimes like that happen anywhere, especially in a place where you have homeless, drug addits and the majority of the population is unemployed.
People still need to eat and feed their family if they can not get it anyhtherway then they will steal.

Unless you have proof of who did it the police is not going to bother and it is unlikely you will recover the items.
Here is what I propose:
1) Insurance to cover any loses
2) Video cameras and lights connected to movement sensing devices, store pictures and videos elsewhere so they can not take the recorder with them. Have the computer send the videos to a web site or cloud server.
3) alarms and strong doors & locks
3) A gun if you are actually willing to use it, otherwise they will use it against you so don't get it unless you are certain you will use it.

If I were a thieve, I would prefer to steal from a middle class than from a low class since they have better stuff. A gated area is not going to stop a thieve unless he shows up at the gate and I have been waved thru many times by the gate guards.

One house I was planning on buying was stripped of all kitchen equipment, lights, the wires in the walls, and the wires to the electric pole. That did not take 15 minutes, they were there on and off for days. Apparently nobody called the cops or they never showed up. In the end it would have been too expensive to rewire the house so I did not try to get it. By the way that happened before I saw the house, any abandoned house has likely been stripped.

Crime of opportunities as I said happen all the time, and if everyone looks the other way and if the cops don't show up on time, that leaves you to deal with it or live with it.

Cameras had become very effective in deterring crime. and if it does happens it can help you with the insurance and the police. Unfortunate you will find petty crime any ware you go. We got our Christmas lights stolen one year here in Texas.

I will recommend installing a good camera system and place signs that your place is monitored. Also, a good guard dog will prevent any one getting into your place. I went to a kayak place in SJ on my last trip, they guy had 2 BIG dogs in the property. When I ask him, he told us that before getting the dogs stuff got stolen from his shop constantly, after he got the dogs he sleeps better and no merchandise had been stolen since.

I am not too keen on using dogs to protect a property for two reasons:
1) I love dogs and like my kids, I don't want them hurt, killed or poisoned
2) Liability, if a dog like that gets loose it can hurt someone besides the robber. The robber may outsmart the dog and let the dog loose. Now the robber is inside and the dog is outside.

I have been seriously ripped off consistently at almost every place I have lived on the mainland. The West coast, southwest, midwest, east coast. Even Germany. Serious theft of household goods always when I was not at home. Furniture, electronics, two Grandfather clocks, even wooden boards and hand tools. None of it was recovered or crooks caught. In each case the nosy busybody neighbors, hiding behind the curtains who knew my every mood, all of a sudden did not see anything unusual.
However, I was unprepared for what happened to me here, and hopefully my story will help someone who is considering to move here or anywhere else.

An empty house is an open invitation to thieves, anywhere in the world.  I took all my life savings and bought a house in the beautiful Puerto Rican cloud forest mountains. A dream house if you like simple living. Had mature plantains, avocados, oranges, coffee and many other goodies growing there. I visited the realtor, toured the house and property, then went back to the states to arrange the purchase. This house was empty, and it was a foreclosure, but the realtor assured me it would be safe. She claimed she had contractors maintaining and watching it. cutting grass etc.

When we came down  three weeks later, first we went to the house before closing and got a shocking surprise. During the three weeks it took me to arrange all the sale papers, the house and property was unoccupied.  In spite of the "contractors" watching it, When I came back to my newly purchased house, it had been thoroughly and methodically robbed.

All the plantains,  avocados and ripe oranges were taken from the trees.. Then came the house. All 16 of the new tinted glass hurricane windows and all three metal doors and wrought iron doors were gone. The really strange part was that it was not vandalized. They were carefully removed, indicating that professional construction people had stolen it. The thieves had even written the size of all these items on the wall.! Next came the electrical wiring. Every inch of wiring had been pulled out. The cookstove and refrigerator was gone. All of the plumbing pipe was carefully taken out.
The only thing left was the window screens, all 16 of them, stacked neatly in the great room.

We still wanted the house, and the realtor was very sympathetic, and we worked out a new contract, the price reduction nowhere near the cost of repairs. She did have a handy man come out and board up the windows, but we had to buy the wood.

We still did not own the house, we could not tresspass on it so we took another week to work out the new contract. Then we sadly finally went to our home. The gate was open, and  "contractors" were there. Blowing leaves off the driveway. We checked the house again and now the screens were gone! We confronted the contractor. At first he was not happy to see us, and did not believe we were the owners. He called the realtor and was told we own it.

Since they had been to the house frequently, we asked him if he had noticed anything unusual. Had he not noticed the windows and doors were gone? and call the realtor? This theft must have taken some time. It was not noticed ? Did he know where the screens went? They were here a week ago. He said he didn't have them, just look in his truck

We took their company name down. They hurriedly left. I called the realtor again, the police, talked to the neighbor, but our house was out of sight of the road, which also made theft easy, but all in vain. Nobody knew anything, and nothing could be proven. We did not have the thousands necessary to repair it all at once, It would take weeks, or even months. When we went to buy replacement windows, we told the dealer what happened, and he did not bat an eye. He said it was definitely a contractor theft.

So we rented an apartment and I stood guard over the house as we gradually repaired it. I got a rescue dog..a  pit bull to keep watch. I am an old Hippie, being anti-gun, and anti-violent.  So I just keep it well lit with the new wiring. and don't leave it unattended. i hope someday to have a surveillance system online.

The life skills lesson is: If you plan to buy an empty house, or if it will be empty during the transfer, make arrangements with the realtor for a dependable, accountable house sitter. even if you have to pay.

A maintenance contractor will know where the empty, foreclosed, and isolated houses are located, and there are many of them on the island, and some of them are darn nice houses. To wash his hands, he just simply sells the information to the network of thieves.

Hope this helps.

Sounds like what happend to that $440,000 home that they were selling for $170,000. Complete strip. But when I priced the repairs it was like $90k on top of the 170,000 they were asking. Way more that I was willing to pay and since I am not handy and for now live in the mainland I would have probably had to hire the same contractor that stripped it in the first place. My luck!!!!

It would have cost me $260k to buy and to bring the property back to life.  But my budget was 200k. So I decided not to even try.

Good suggestions Rey. I have an Alarm system with a sensor on every door and window. I'm able to check on the house from the app while we are away. It was definitely worth the investment and really gives me piece of mind.

I live in a condo in Fajardo... they cops came and did a report.... I've seen the cops patrolling through the complex since the stuff got stolen and now we a security guard that rides around but to late when the horse is out of the barn... so to speak. Cameras will be going up at least on my property... no matter what the HOA does...

BearNVa wrote:

I live in a condo in Fajardo... they cops came and did a report.... I've seen the cops patrolling through the complex since the stuff got stolen and now we a security guard that rides around but to late when the horse is out of the barn... so to speak. Cameras will be going up at least on my property... no matter what the HOA does...

Good for you!
If you have visibility downstairs to the parking area and or the storage area you may want to dedicate a camera to that view, this way if somebody breaks into a car or another shed, you may have images of people in the area at the time.
You can always turn the images in if there is an incident even if you did not captured the actual occurrence but at least you may have a potential suspect on camera, he cn not say he was not there!

I got robbed in January, there isn't much the police can do other than coming by more frequently. I would check clasificados and the local flea market for your stuff if you don't mind the time investment.

I have installed a number of web cams and made sure everyone knew they were there.  They were visible, I have signs, the led light is left on and a couple of times I called neighbors to tell them I saw something suspicious in the neighborhood on my cameras (not really, but the rumor that I had powerful cameras spread like wildfire). 

I have had no theft issues in five years.

wpotvin wrote:

I have installed a number of web cams and made sure everyone knew they were there.  They were visible, I have signs, the led light is left on and a couple of times I called neighbors to tell them I saw something suspicious in the neighborhood on my cameras (not really, but the rumor that I had powerful cameras spread like wildfire). 

I have had no theft issues in five years.

Sounds a little like a game of poker, word gets around even if it is not true, so less chance of an issue. Good for you.

Great idea!

My ex fiancee from over 20 years ago was Puerto Rican. Her brother in law had his new truck stolen from in front of his house while he was home in broad daylight. There's a line from "Silence of the Lambs" that speaks to me about this and life in Puerto Rico. People covet what they see. That being said, if I was buying a house down there, I'd be parked or have a friend parked on the property. Keep it well lighted and have it appear as if somebody is always home and alert. Theirs is an opportunistic culture and their economy's in shambles. But then, I've had American friends and trusted acquaintances steal from me as well. Don't give people the opportunity to disappoint you because invariably they will.

The most stolen car is the toyota yaris because it is cheap and popular. It blends well anywhere.
A lot of times a stolen car or carjack is to use the car to comit a crime. Example i read that this morning somebody ram a truck into a gas station to steal the ATH. Before they could the police arrived.

Likely they will burn it after the deed, sometimes with a body inside.

What a terrible story!  I hope things are better for you now.

This thread is almost 2 years old

Hmmm... it has me worried because we will be closing on a house in PR sometime between now and the end of the year.  The owners have said they are leaving for the mainland soon, and the house will be sitting empty.

I'm guessing the only thing we can do is to ask for a walk through prior to closing.  The house is in a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else, but still...

Yes a walk thru is a good idea regardless it it sat empty or not. Leaks can occur, plumbing can go bad, toilets can stop working, etc.

If the owner was smart about it he would find somebody to do upkeep and short term rent the place until sold. This way it has traffic and also makes him some money in the mean time.

If something is wrong with the place you can walk away from the deal or ask for adjustments to the price based on the repairs needed.

frogrock wrote:

My cousin keeps large dogs on her property. I keep two dogs that bark at anything. This probably helps as a deterrent.

This could very well be a problem to your neighbors.

Dogs in PR are a sound pollution issue.
A lot of neglected dogs, chained dogs, stressed to the point anything makes them bark.

Most people in PR do keep dogs so they bark if anyone comes. A lot of times they are tied in the back like you said.
This is unfurtunate but true, others have them running loose with no colar, tags or anything, they are a danger to children, the elderly, runners and cyclists. Just this year two 70+ old ladies been killed by dogs.

Dora787 wrote:

First of all sorry..but please don't anyone start the "Crime happens everywhere in the World argument". It is sooo obvious that there is good and bad...and pros and cons to living in any place.

In my opinion there is no good or bad area in the island....crime is widespread and can happen anywhere. There are a lot of Robberies that happen at Gas Stations and Fast Food Restaurants and Car Theft etc. I hear all the time about Robberies in Gated Communities. My house was robbed years ago and they pretty much stole everything. I thought there would be an investigation....ha...of course not.  They most the Police will do is file a report and tell you that they are "looking".  Robberies are rarely solved in PR and it would be a miracle if you ever got your stuff back.

Just like New York, robberies are rarely solved here either and don't even believe it's going to be investigated. My husband had his apartment robbed and was robbed at gunpoint on the street (before we met) here in NYC and all they do is file a report and tell you they'll look into it then *crickets*.

With all the security cameras in NY you would think it would be a piece of cake. But probably they dont bother.