Shanna Beyah had barely settled into her Castle Hills home when someone broke into her vehicle.
“We got broken into the second week of us being here, so it was the last thing I expected,” Beyah said.
She said the alleged thief took a duffel bag filled with souvenirs and cash from her vehicle. She filed a police report and had Ring camera footage but was disappointed when nothing came of it.
Now, an arrest tied to an alleged vehicle theft ring has some neighbors concerned about what may be happening in their own neighborhood.
San Antonio police arrested Isaac Daniel Vasquez, 19, on Monday. He’s accused of being involved in an organized vehicle theft ring that targeted neighborhoods in Castle Hills and surrounding areas earlier this year.
It remains unclear if Vasquez is connected to Beyah’s break-in.
For Beyah, the concern goes beyond the belongings someone might take. She worries about encountering someone breaking into a vehicle, especially when she has children to think about.
Michael Ferguson, who has lived in Castle Hills for 15 years, said neighbors have been talking with one another about the break-ins and what they are hearing around the area.
“I get kind of worried because it’s a pretty peaceful street for the most part,” Ferguson said.
According to a Castle Hills Police Department affidavit, surveillance footage captured two people allegedly breaking into pickup trucks on Briarcliff Drive and Gardenview Drive on Feb. 5.
Investigators said Vasquez used a screwdriver to break a pickup’s window and take property from inside.
The affidavit also connects the investigation to a stolen 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, valued around $75,000 to $90,000. The vehicle was reported stolen from a home near Alamo Heights and recovered weeks later.
Investigators believe the alleged crimes were part of a larger pattern involving Castle Hills, Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills and Olmos Park.
Vasquez faces multiple charges, including two counts of burglary of a vehicle, theft of property and engaging in organized criminal activity.
For residents who chose Castle Hills and the other North Side neighborhoods because it felt like a quiet place to live, the allegations are a reminder that vehicle break-ins can hit close to home.
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