NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Across Nashville, neighbors started 2025 with busted car windows.
Video obtained by News 2 shows multiple people running out of a vehicle with flashlights, and breaking into cars in the Belmont Hillsboro area.
West of there, Metro police said thieves broke into around two dozen cars at a Bellevue apartment complex.
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“When I called the police officer, their first question was ‘Did you have any weapons in the car?’ And it was made apparent that was the key motive for the break-ins,” Joshua Heard said.
Metro police said it does not appear any guns were stolen in this string of break-ins. However, according to recent MNPD data, over 1,200 guns were stolen from vehicles in 2024.
“My kids asked me as soon as I came back up to the apartment ‘Why do they keep picking on your truck?’” Heard said.
Recently, Heard’s same car window was broken into. Thieves got away with basketball equipment.
“It’s just disheartening because you can’t do anything about it. You lose money, then you have to pay money again just to get it repaired,” Heard said.
Heard expects to pay around $600 for his back window and the cracks to his driver-side window.
“Just days before the break-ins, someone rammed the [apartment complex] gate…Was it a coincidence or was it part of the plot?” Heard said.
Data from the Metro Nashville Police Department showed that, on average, they received 172 theft from vehicle cases every week for 2024. That’s down from the average of 184 cases per week reported in 2023.
However, Heard said the new year isn’t starting on a good note. “It’s tough to think that someone, instead of wanting to spend time with family and loved ones, their mindset is ‘How can I go steal something from somebody.'”
Metro police’s vehicle theft operation has resulted in over 1,000 arrests since launching in February 2024. The initiative has recovered more than 220 firearms and recovered more than 540 stolen vehicles.
