BROAD RIPPLE -
Metro police tell Eyewitness News there's been a spike in crime in the Broad Ripple area and residents need to be concerned.
One resident not only had all of his stuff stolen, but needs your help to identify who took it.
"This is really the one that upsets me. He is wearing a black watch and a brown watch that he took from my room," said Matt Gramlich. "He has also taken a pair of my glasses."
Gramlich was looking through photos on his iPad that he never took.
"There are three TVs here and this is clearly one that I owned and this other is my roommate's," Gramlich said.
He says he is looking at the photos "more often than I should."
"Maybe I'll find something, but I should stop, because I keep getting the images in my head," he said.
Gramlich found the images on accident, hours after $8,000 worth of electronics and property stolen from his Broad Ripple home in early August. He checked his Apple iCloud account and the alleged thieves had used his stolen iPad to take photos of themselves with his stolen stuff.
"I couldn't believe it," Gramlich said. "At first, we noticed the front door open and we got real suspicious and walked back here and saw this window open."
Gramlich says it was a sunny afternoon earlier this month. He and one his roommates ran out to play tennis down the street. Two hours later, three TVs, three laptops, an iPad, sunglasses, watches, and mp3 players were all gone.
"It is really upsetting and hard to sleep at night. Gives me nightmares, knowing someone was in our house," Gramlich said.
After reporting the crime to police, sleepless nights led the Broad Ripple residents to put up their own safety measures. That includes thick blankets for better blinds and a motion-detecting camera outside that records activity.
"Trying to gain a sense of security that we will never get back fully," said Gramlich.
A picture from the outdoor camera a week after the break-in caught another unwelcome stranger.
Police say there was a spike in crime in the Broad Ripple area in August and neighbors noticed. An online petition is circulating, asking the mayor to install more street lights in the hopes of deterring crime.
Even though thieves broke into his home during the day, Gramlich is one of nearly 2,000 people that have already signed the petition.
"When I come home at night, I drive around a couple times and make sure no one is watching and then I drive in. It's crazy, I shouldn't have to do that," he said.
IMPD Officer Michael Hewitt tells Eyewitness News more police officers have been patrolling the area and the pictures Gramlich found on his iPad are being used to find the thieves.
"Any lead information given to a detective is always good information," Hewitt said.
"I don't want my stuff back, it's tainted. I just want them off the street," Gramlich said. "Hopefully, modern technology will find these guys."
Police believe the crime trend in Broad Ripple is going down. The group behind "Keep Broad Ripple Safe" is hosting a fundraiser in September to raise money for extra streetlights.
Keep Broad Ripple Safe petition
Matt Gramlich found photos of his stolen items on his iCloud account.
Gramlich says the alleged thief is wearing his watches in one picture.
Gramlich installed security cameras in his home.
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