New Haven Independent

Santiago, who lives in Fair Haven Heights, works at Payless Auto Glass on Dixwell Avenue.

As the recession drives up property crimes, New Haven has seen a 51 percent spike in thefts from automobiles this year. That means more busted windows, and more chilly customers pulling into the parking lot to seek Santiago’s help.

Customers like 21-year-old Calvin Gibson (pictured), who arrived at Payless in his ‘94 Nissan Altima on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s my hoopde, my A to B,” Gibson said of the rusted car.

About a month ago, while the Nissan was parked outside an auto mechanic’s shop, someone bashed in the window. Nothing was stolen. Gibson taped plastic over the gaping hole and kept driving. The fix worked fine until a few days ago, when someone slashed through the plastic looking for something to steal. Gibson figured it was time for an upgrade.

When he searched around for a plate glass business, he found several were too busy to see him.

“I had to call around a lot,” he said.

He landed an appointment with Santiago, an affable man with a backwards hat and a lucky die hanging from one ear.

Santiago took the key and drove to the garage. After 15 years in the business, he can pop in a new window in a jiffy.

“Hasta la vista, baby,” he said as he pried off the inside door panel, revealing a cavity filled with of shards of glass.

He tugged the remnants of the window out through a hole and plopped them in the trash. (Click on the play arrow at the top of this story to watch.)

Within 16 minutes, he had vacuumed away the evidence and was wiping down a brand new window.

“It’s too bad the car is ugly,” he said, sticking out his tongue. “But we treat them all the same.”

Santiago does two types of work: Windshields, which get nicked by highway projectiles, and side windows, which are hard to break unless thieves swing at them. In winter, when storms roll around, the windshield work usually outpaces the windows. But this year, the two are neck-and-neck.

“We’re seeing a lot more windows smashed,” said Santiago.

By his observation, most windows are broken by thieves who are looking for GPS units. A thief may be tipped off by a GPS holder suction-cupped to the window, or even just the telltale ring left by a suction cup. They shatter the window with a rock or a hammer, grab the unit and run.

“It’s sad to say,” said Santiago, “but because of the GPS and the break-ins, it’s bringing the business up. That’s not the way we want to get business, but that’s the way it is.”

“An Upsurge”

The city has seen a 51 percent spike in car break-ins this year, according to the Independent’s Crime Log, which is based on data sent directly from police.

From Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 of 2007, there were 1,018 reported thefts from automobiles. In that same time period this year, there were 1,534.

“There’s an upsurge,” said Pete Reichard, an assistant chief of police in New Haven. When police get together to crunch numbers every three weeks, car break-ins are a big topic of discussion, he said.

Thefts from autos now rank as one of the most frequently committed crimes in New Haven, the assistant chief said.

“A lot of that is related to the economy,” Reichard reckoned. The smashed glass comes as the recession drives up property crime across the nation, including burglaries and thefts of copper pipes from foreclosed-on buildings.

Police believe a large number of break-ins are committed by a small group of thieves, Reichard said. Thieves slip into parking lots unnoticed, rip off a series of cars and flee.

After analyzing data to see which area is getting hit the hardest, cops may add patrols or set up a decoy car to catch a thief in the act, Reichard said. Mostly, he finds that when police crack down on theft in one area, it springs up somewhere else.

East Rock is one neighborhood that has suffered from a rash of such “smash-and-grabs.” In September, police issued courtesy tickets warning drivers not to leave valuables in the car.

Back at Payless, Gibson put down $175 and took his hoopde back. Santiago warned him that the motor that raises the window is dying. Gibson said that’s OK — he’ll just leave it up.

“I’ll probably get something nicer in the spring,” he said. “But for now, it’s better than walking, and it beats taking the bus.”