Blue City Tourist Neighborhood Has Seen Almost 2,500 Car Break-Ins This Year, A 50% Spike Since 2019

A popular tourist neighborhood in San Francisco has seen almost 2,500 car break-ins this year, according to the San Francisco Standard.

The North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco, a spot famous for its restaurants and bars, is the top area in the city for vehicle break-ins, according to the Standard. There have been 190 vehicle break-ins in the city in the last 30 days and 2,432 incidents since the beginning of this year, over a 50% spike since the same time in 2019.

An employee at a restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood told the Standard that the spike in crime has started to negatively impact businesses and tourism in the area.

“It’s clear as day. The tourists see all of the damage the thieves cause and of course, they aren’t going to come,” Jose Luis told the Standard. “In all honesty, this business has gone down because of this.”

An employee at another business in the North Beach neighborhood reportedly told the outlet that tourists will normally park their vehicles in open-air lots and therefore these areas often become the targets of thieves.

“If you go up the Lombard Street Hill, that’s where you’ll find a lot of the [car break-ins] around here,” one worker anonymously told the Standard. “Of course, there’s stuff that happens on the regular streets, but there are also those areas that locals know not to park at because you will get broken into.”

Robbery and motor vehicle theft in San Francisco have been trending upward this year, according to police department data. Robbery incidents have increased by 12.2% since last year and motor vehicle thefts are up 7.7%.

Violent crime is also on the rise in San Francisco as homicides have increased by 7.7% since last year, according to police department data. Many local businesses and major retailers have shut down and fled the city citing the spike in violent crime and drug usage as the reason for their departure.