Not in Kansas anymore

By adamg - 9/4/08 - 9:17 pm

BU freshman from Kansas learns about the harsh realities of life in Allston after his iPod, GPS and radio are stolen from his car parked on Comm. Ave.

... He ran back to the apartment and told his roomies what happened. They were all very upset on his behalf. Then one of them asked him how the thief got in. As it turns out, the kid from Kansas left his doors unlocked and everything in plain sight because that is the way he "does things at home."

Comments

Welcome to Allston

By Stewart - 9/4/08 - 10:47 pm

Now try to be less stupid in the future.

Or ...

By adamg - 9/4/08 - 10:59 pm

He could move to West Roxbury and feel right at home (and then have his car broken into again).

1. BU Freshmen eh? Didn't he read the part about "bringing a car to Boston at all is a really dumb idea" in the standard enormous packet of "information for freshmen" aimed at making their frequently over-involved parents feel better?

2. From what I've heard from people I know or am related to who have lived in or are from Kansas, I'm wondering where he could have pulled this "unlocked everything" stunt in Kansas and gotten away with it. House maybe, but car?

Further ...

By JimboJones - 9/4/08 - 11:29 pm

Another helpful tip for our young friend:

Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any deal involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, cashier check, money order, shipping, escrow, or any promise of transaction protection/certification/guarantee.

Also:

Coffee is extremely hot!

I got CDs stolen from my car

By Jiffywoob - 9/5/08 - 12:50 am

I got CDs stolen from my car in Cambridge about five years ago, and it wasn't the fact that they were stolen that ticked me off...it was the fact that the perps picked and chose which CDs to steal, and they didn't steal my favorite CDs, indicating that I have horrible taste in music.

I've also had my stereo faceplate stolen. Just the faceplate. The stereo was still there. I'm still picturing some guy trying how to figure out how to turn the damn thing on.

Dude, if you're going to B&E into my car, just take everything. It will make both of our lives easier. Except mine.

If it makes you feel any better

By Gareth - 9/5/08 - 7:46 am

Perhaps your taste is more refined than that of the common smash-and-grab petty thief.

Which CDs did the thief take?

Lessen learned

By ML_ - 9/5/08 - 8:50 am

My wife had a bunch of cd’s taken from her car (ya, it was unlocked – lessen learned) we called the police to report it. You never know!

Well apparently the kids who pinched the cd’s didn’t care for Raffi, The Wiggles and Disney tunes. They where found around the comer under a streetlight!

It never hurts to report it.

Awww.

By Spatch - 9/5/08 - 8:46 am

On the one hand, I feel for the poor naif because schadenfreude aside, we all were wide-eyed freshmen (in spirit, at least) at one point or another.

But on the other hand, buddy, welcome to the real world. Your next lesson will be to stop talking to random folks on the T.

My old car was one of the world's best junk cars ever. The back seat was just full of random stuff -- books, shoes, old papers, busted computer equipment, cassette tapes, I think a lamp -- and I'd always joked that if someone were to break in and grab the junk, they'd be doing me a favor.

Eventually it was broken into. The thieves smashed the driver's window... so they could pop the hood, take out the 10-year-old ignition wires and break the alternator in an attempt to remove that as well. Everything inside was left alone.

You damn kids!!

It's hard to fathom how anybody, no matter where they're from,

By independentminded (not verified) - 9/5/08 - 8:57 am

could be naive enough not to realize that when one's in an urban area (or almost anywhere nowadays), that they have to lock their car doors, and not leave valuables out in plain sight,. no matter what. Too bad this kid had to learn the hard way, but here's hoping he learned a (valuable)( lesson from this experience.

Nah...

By Route 66 - 9/5/08 - 11:37 am

His squash for brains parents will flip and end up calling the Dean of Students office to harangue someone over it. Sorry, but I grew up in Vermont where we rarely locked cars or our houses and even I knew that both were needful when moving to Boston.

Been real busy with work

By ShadyMilkMan - 9/5/08 - 12:35 pm

Been real busy with work this week so havent been commenting, but couldnt pass this up!

Seriously I dont care where your from a basic rule is if your familiar with the area leave you can consider leaving your car unlocked but if your not familiar with the area do not. Ive lived in an urban area my whole life and when I was a kid my parents wouldnt lock the car doors and nobody ever touched the car because everyone knew everyone else. In a funny twist we would visit family in NH in a nice rural area and my mother would lock the doors just in case. My aunt told her once that she didnt have to do that here and we werent in Boston to which my mother replied "Well were from Boston and were here."

Im sorry I have friends from Indianna and Illinois (rural parts) and they always OVER compensated for crime in the city. They were the first ones to put in extra locks on the doors, and put the big metal thing on their steering wheel.

Real World Living 101

By Slimbru - 9/5/08 - 1:25 pm

Consider the loss an extension of your tuition bill.

Reality is, no matter where you are, or how familiar you are with your surroundings, keep it out of sight and if possible, lock it.

I live in the 'burbs now (after 15+ years in Boston). And B & E of cars, even at your home, is a frequent occurance. Even in the affluent 'burbs (I guess that makes some sense, more expensive cars - more expensive contents).

If its out in the open, and its easy access, consider it gone.

There's no honor or code amongst today's thieves.

At least in the 80's, when you left a note on your BMW stating "No Radio", thieves left you a note stating "just checking" and a broken window.

;-)

Good point, Slimbru.

By independentminded (not verified) - 9/5/08 - 7:25 pm

n/m

I must live in the right South Shore town

By aging cynic - 9/7/08 - 12:54 pm

Last time this happened down the street, the 6 state troopers in the neighborhood were organizing a posse when the guy was caught, (lucky for him). One state trooper had a Glock aimed at a burglar's chest when the moron broke and ran. Rather than do 6 month's paperwork and risk jail for defending her own home, she called the Marshfield cops and let THEM handle it.