It was a rude awakening for nearly two-dozen car owners in Scripps Ranch Wednesday morning after 22 cars were vandalized and some were burglarized, police said.
The vehicles were parked along the 9900 block of Hibert Street and in nearby lots.
Stephen Freeman, 22, woke up to find the passenger's side window of his car smashed.
"I'm baffled, I'm astonished, I'm flabbergasted, in awe, speechless really," he said.
Freeman said the vandal stole his iPod and wallet. The money in his wallet was a deposit for college classes and he says Thursday is the deadline to make the payment.
A worker later spotted Freeman's wallet, IDs and credit cards tossed in a nearby parking lot. There was no money inside.
Another victim, T.J. Mickem, came out to Hibert Street to find the passenger's side window of the new PT Cruiser he bought for his wife a month ago, smashed. The car still has dealer plates. His GPS device is missing along with everything in the glove box of the vehicle.
Several victims were concerned that a 24-hour security guard in the area didn't hear anything.
"If they got 22 cars and nobody gets caught you're going to have to put up security cameras or something," Mickem said.
Police left notes on the vandalized cars to notify owners that they are aware of the incident and to contact Northeastern Division of the San Diego Police Dept.
Police believe vandals hit the 22 cars sometime between 2 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. They got a call from a witness who saw a man jump into the passenger side of a two-door, black, Honda Civic-type vehicle with California plates and drive away.
Police say they're looking for a man around 5 foot 8 inches, 140 pounds, wearing dark clothing.
