Nearly 40 cars broken into in Dania Beach, Hollywood

Criminals targeted car registration, insurance information according to residents

DANIA BEACH, Fla – Nearly 40 cars were broken into early Tuesday morning at three locations across Dania Beach and Hollywood.

The passenger windows of six cars were smashed in at the parking lot of the Sheridan Lakes condo complex located at 425 SE 11th Terrace in Dania Beach. At least ten more were broken into in the community of Meadowbrook Lakes, and more at a Best Western Hotel on the other side of town.

Residents told Local 10 News it did not appear the crooks were after electronics, but rather paperwork such as the car's registration or insurance information. 

"The only thing I see I was missing is I had a little notebook that was my son's that got killed," one victim said. "It had $2 inside it and I always saved it. But they didn't take my GPS, they didn't take a CD player that I had in there and that's the only thing I see missing."

Police said they are seeing a rise in break-ins where the crooks are targeting personal documents they can resell to steal the victims' identity.