South City apartment residents push for garage door repairs after months of car break-ins

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Residents at a south city apartment complex are pushing management to repair a broken garage door that has left their vehicles vulnerable to break-ins for months.

The secure garage door at Terra at the Grove apartments near Manchester and Kingshighway stopped working in the spring, leaving the attached parking garage accessible to anyone, residents said.

“I think it’s very scary that I could be asleep. Someone could be breaking into my car,” said Grace Weng, who lives at the complex.

Katie Blue experienced the reality of those fears when her car was broken into late last month.

“I came out and checked. My driver’s side window was smashed and glass everywhere. They went through my console. Nothing was taken. Nothing was in there to take,” Blue said.

She said that after it happened, it took two weeks for her car to be repaired.

“Getting your car broken into is not fun. Having to pay for the damages is not fun, and we pay $100 per vehicle to park per month here. It’s just frustration,” Blue said.

Blue said part of the frustration is that there’s supposed to be a garage door at the entrance of the parking garage to keep it enclosed and protect the cars. She said that the door hasn’t worked in months.

“May or June, I believe, has been since then. So, now we’re in December. So, that is a long time that it’s been broken,” she said.

Blue added, “When we first moved here, they advertised a secured parking garage. And it was secured. You know, it was a gate that could only open with a sensor and close when you come out of the garage. Now, they’ve changed on their website. It doesn’t say secured parking.”

While car break-ins have happened in the area, Blue said they became more frequent this summer and fall at the complex. Her car was among multiple vehicles broken into in late November.

Residents are now pushing management to expedite repairs they are still waiting for.

“To pay for parking for it to be secured and it not to be and management do nothing is incredibly frustrating,” Blue said.

Weng said while her car isn’t among the ones to have been broken into, she’s faced her own challenges with management. Like Blue, she wants to see it resolved.

Weng said, “I definitely want management and corporate to just care a little more. We pay a lot to be here, and that’s the least we deserve is to have a place that feels like home.”

St. Louis Police said calls for service at the location included at least four auto theft calls and 11 larceny from a car calls since the start of the year through early December. A spokesperson said the area receives extra patrols as officers are available.

The Texas-based company that owns the apartment complex said it is working on an internal investigation and collaborating with police and a hired security contractor to address the incidents.

Blue said residents received a notice from the apartment about manufacturing delays in the parts needed for repairs, and was pushing the vendor to complete the work as soon as possible.

“I think we’ve gone through multiple people, multiple sources. You know, not only is this the management company that we have to talk to, we can’t talk to the owners of the building,” Blue said.

St. Louis police said in a statement:

“We are aware of vehicle break-ins reported at this apartment community, and our officers are actively following up on those incidents. We take these crimes seriously and encourage anyone who may have information or surveillance footage to contact District 2 detectives. Preventing crime is most effective when law enforcement, property management, and residents work together, and we remain committed to partnering with the community to improve safety and prevent further incidents.”

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