Vandals, thieves hit Raleigh subdivision causing massive damage

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Raleigh family is dealing with a tragic mess after police say thieves set fire to their car and home, severely damaging them.

It happened along Quarry Ridge Lane and residents there say they've seen a pattern of crime and vandalism to vehicles.

The family's car was set on fire which cause the house to go up in flames as well.

Neighbor Crystal Hamilton says her family was awakened Sunday morning by the explosion.

"When I looked outside it was just flames," Hamilton says.

Hamilton lives across the street from the home.

Neighbors suspect kids are going into unlocked vehicles and stealing pocket change but say the incidents have gone to a new level.

According to police, thieves committed crimes in the subdivision on Sunday night. Police are investigating a connection.

Kim Strickland woke up to not only find her neighbor's home and car on fire, but her Ford Escape as well.

"When we opened the door, smoke just hit my daughter in the face like 'whoosh!'" she said. "We were like, 'Whoa! It's smoke, the truck is on fire.'"

Strickland said liability insurance will not cover the cost to replace the vehicle.

Residents say they want more overnight patrols from police and more input from their homeowners association. Until then, neighbors say they are forming a community watch.

"If they get away with this then it could lead to them trying to break into homes," says Shayne Halls.

Raleigh police say they do regular patrols in the area and will assess the situation and their staff bandwidth to determine if there will be more frequent patrols.

ABC11 reached out to Elite Management Professionals which is the homeowners association that manages Quarry Point Subdivision for a response to these crimes. Our call was not returned.