NEW ORLEANS — While the New Orleans Saints were losing to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, dozens of Black and Gold fans were being sacked by car vandals.
“When you see it, it’s disappointing,” Josh Prenall said. “It is a brand-new car we just bought.”
Presnall drove into town from Houston to watch the game with his wife.
They parked in a garage in the 1000 block of Common Street.
He received a call shortly after kickoff, telling him some vandals had broken into his 2022 Kia Sorento.
“They ripped out the ignition, busted the wires and stuff and they kept on trying and it didn’t work, and they tried more and more and they ripped up so much, we’re going to get it towed and it has to go to the dealership with a lot of damage to it,” Presnall said.
Security guard Raymond White was on duty in the garage.
“I was doing my job, detailing the parking lot and I noticed three guys, one of them was looking out, the other guy was inside the vehicle, and I just said freeze, you know,” White said.
White says the young men were intercepted by the NOPD as they attempted to run out of the garage.
“They broke into like four cars. They were trying to get away with the one car they were in. They were, looked like they had hot-wired it in some way. Lucky I was there to kind of break up their operation.”
Police arrested Aldolphus Wilson, 20, Brianzell Edgar, 18, and a 17-year-old juvenile.
They were booked on three counts of auto burglary and two counts of attempted auto theft.
Wilson and the juvenile also face gun charges.
“They didn’t want to steal anything as far as items,” Presnall said. “They just wanted the whole car.”
Stuart Sisk parked in another downtown garage, waiting to board a cruise ship.
He went to check on his vehicle after hearing about Sunday’s break-ins.
“I’m from a smaller town in Ohio,” Sisk said. “I leave my doors unlocked. It’s not a big deal where I’m from. Hearing especially about a rash of break-ins, yes, it’s concerning, very concerning.”
Luckily for Sisk, his car was not one of those broken into this weekend.
He said crime is definitely a consideration if he and his wife decide to visit New Orleans again in the future.
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