Residents in the neighborhood of Fitler Square in Philadelphia say their cars were broken into again. It’s the second time in one week and what was stolen from the cars could be related to organized crime involving identity theft. The thieves targeted cars on both sides of Locust Street near 24th Street focusing on the windows that faced the sidewalk. NBC10 was told that people can find free parking at this corner and often don’t check on their cars until they need to leave. Over the course of Thursday, our crews only saw one victim come to their car which may have meant that others were not aware that paperwork, like their vehicle registration, was stolen. “The worst thing is they opened the glove box. They obviously are stealing things and now I have to worry about my identity,” one car owner said. It looks like the thieves got into the cars by breaking the glass on the sides facing the sidewalk before rummaging through the glove compartments or center consoles. They took paperwork like the vehicle registration. “But they left all the, you know, hair clips and kind of plastic stuff. Even chargers. So it seems like they were on a mission,” Christina Acevedo, Fitler Square resident, said. According to city council president Kenyatta Johnson who covers this district, a similar crime happened here on Sunday too. He noted in the Fitler Square newsletter that he understands the concerns and frustrations of these incidents and recommended people notify the police. “It’s really shocking and it’s really scary for someone who parks their car on this very block and yeah it’s a stressful thing, Acevedo said. According to Philadelphia Police, people steal car registrations to get VIN numbers so they can register illegal cars and also file claims on totaled cars. The insurance company Progressive notes on its website that thieves also use VIN numbers to duplicate car keys and to get your home address to steal from there later. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company says that if your car registration has been stolen to first file a police report, then inform your state’s Department of Motor Vehicle and then report the theft to your insurance company. Also, police and insurance companies are saying to add these papers to the list of valuable items to not leave in your car moving forward.