MESA, AZ — A Mesa man is outraged after $25,000 worth of belongings were stolen from his apartment's detached garage.
"Hard work pays off, and someone just came and stole it from me," said Logan Rauch, who woke up to an empty garage on Tuesday.
The three items stolen were a brand new dirt bike, a UTV, and a quad. The items were uninsured and not covered by Rauch's renter insurance.
Rauch insists the burglary was planned based on the size of the items stolen, and since he was the only garage targeted.
The thieves broke in by dismantling a common safety mechanism meant to let people out of the garage if they're trapped inside. The thieves ripped out the padlock connected to the emergency release lock, then pulled the cord opening the garage without even touching the keypad.
Mesa Police Detective Jason Flam says this kind of crime is nothing new. Two similar crimes at the same complex were reported to police in the past two months.
"This will sound an alert to our officers to look into it and canvas," says Flam.
Rauch has since reported the items stolen. He's also turned to social media for help offering a cash reward for the stolen item's return.
Now, Rauch's planning to protect himself against future burglaries.
"There's plenty of things I could've done, but I just didn't know someone would go this length to screw me over," said Rauch.
Detective Flam recommends registering items at your local police department, installing cameras, and alarm systems.
