- February 12, 2025
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A police officer checks to see if valuables are left visible in a car. If he does, he leaves a warning card for the owner. Photo by Wayne Grant
A recent visitor to the city was the victim of a crime that occurs throughout Florida, with Ormond Beach no exception. Stan Lomowski and his wife were taking a long weekend vacation in Ormond Beach, but the incident, he says, will keep them from visiting again.
Staying at a beachside hotel, the couple decided on Sept. 19 to walk their dog at Fortunato Park, something Lomowski did quite often when he lived in Ormond Beach five years ago.
“It’s such a nice area. Right by John Anderson,” he said.
They walked their dog under the bridge and around Rockefeller Gardens, and then around the sidewalk at Fortunato.
When they walked back to their car, from a distance it looked like they had left the windows down. But arriving at the car, he saw the driver and passenger windows were broken out, with glass all over the seat and the floor. Two I-Pads were stolen that were hidden underneath the seats. He said they took their I-Pads to the park, because they did not think they would be safe left in the hotel room.
He said the officers that arrived were “super nice” and were able to get fingerprints.
He said he and his wife were “stressed out to the max,” over the event, especially driving back to Orlando with no windows and two dogs in the car.
“I’ll never go back to Ormond Beach,” he said. “I think it’s just sad, very sad.”
He suggested cameras in the park.
“It’s Orwellian to think about but it’s the world we live in,” he said.
Police records show there have been four car break-ins at Fortunato Park so far this year, and two at Cassen Park. There have been three at The Casements.
An Ormond Beach police officer patrolling Fortunato Park on Sept. 23 said he checks the parks several times a day, as well as business parking lots in the city. He walks around and looks in the cars, and if he sees a valuable in plain sight, he leaves a Crime Opportunity Report Form on the windshield letting the owner know they are taking a risk.
The officer said a group called the “felony lane” gang, which breaks into cars in cities all along the East Coast, are suspected for many of the car breaks. Police believe the criminals wait and watch for targets in the parking areas.
City Manager Joyce Shanahan said city officials have discussed installing cameras at the parks, but it hasn’t gone past that stage. She pointed out there are warning signs in the park to let people know of the danger.
A sign on the driveway into the park says, “Take your keys. Secure valuables. Lock your car.”
Lomowski said he did not see the sign.
Shanahan agreed with the officer that the perpetrators are suspected to be professionals from out of town.
There are numerous car breaks in the driveways of homes, where unlocked cars are targeted.
At a neighborhood meeting in June, Ormond Beach police told citizens that 257 car breaks had been reported in the city so far in the year, and the majority of cars were left unlocked.
They encouraged citizens to lock their car and take all valuables, including the garage door opener, which can be used to get into the garage and possibly the house.
QUOTE
“It’s Orwellian to think about but it’s the world we live in.”
STAN LOMOWSKI, visitor, on surveillance cameras
BOX
Car Breaks
Police reported 257 car break-ins in the first six months of the year.
