Burglars hit two student homes, steal electronics and car

Columbia police are investigating after burglars targeted two student homes early Sunday morning.

Authorities said it happened on Ross Street in the East Campus neighborhood.

One of the victims, Stuart Atwood, arrived home just after the burglars left and watched as they drove away with his car. In that house, the residents said the thieves stole numerous electronics, including laptops, iPads, and car keys to two cars.

Just down the street and just minutes apart, Danielle Baker and her roommates also came home to find a laptop missing. They checked their alarm system and found the burglars entered their home just before one a.m.

“Since then, it’s been so scary, you know, going to sleep and not knowing they’re going to come back,” Baker said.

This wasn’t the first time her home had been burglarized — it was hit just a few months ago while the girls were on break.

“This Saturday is just so much scarier because they know you won’t be home during break,” she explained. “But this time, we had three cars in the driveway, lights on, TVs on, and they still came in!”

Not only that, the alarm system shows the thieves even tried going upstairs.

“The motion detector on the stairs was tripped and we think it’s because they were going upstairs but maybe thought again when they saw the TVs and lights on and decided to leave,” Baker said.

She said the roommates normally get home around one and couldn’t imagine what would have happened if they did.

But it’s not just Baker and her roommates fearful for their safety, many neighbors are too.

“It’s always scary at night and I never like walking alone because it’s so poorly lit here, so hard to see,” neighbor Emily Hunt said.

So far, the police haven’t made any arrests in the case. They did, however, find the stolen car in the parking lot of the McDonald’s on the Business Loop Monday.