Residents in Philadelphia’s Winchester Park neighborhood say they are increasingly afraid after repeated incidents involving people roaming through yards and checking cars overnight. Neighbors say the incidents have happened more than a dozen times this summer, including as recently as Friday m orning, and surveillance video shared with NBC10 shows people walking through yards, moving around driveways and checking vehicles. Residents who spoke with NBC10 asked not to show their faces or share their names because they are worried doing so could make them targets. “I like coming out here and having my downtime, and I can’t even do that,” one neighbor said from her backyard. “You feel like a prisoner,” another neighbor said. “In your own home,” the first neighbor responded. One surveillance video shows a group of cars arriving around 3 a.m. Another video from August shows four people jumping over a fence to leave a property around 4 a.m. Seconds later, the homeowner opens the door. Neighbors said they fear the repeated encounters could eventually lead to someone getting hurt, especially as some college kids return home late at night. “If they startle someone, somebody is going to get hurt, or residents, because they’re fearful, are going to take things into their own hands, and then it’s going to go somewhere where it doesn’t need to go,” one neighbor said. On Saturday afternoon, Philadelphia police told NBC10 that a request for information was sent to the captain of the Northwest Detective Division, and we are waiting to hear back. We will update this article when we get more information. Some residents said they have filed police reports. NBC10 spoke with some on Saturday who are now trying to gather surveillance video of what they believe are more than a dozen seemingly random incidents. “I don’t want to move. I love it here, but it’s getting scary,” one neighbor said. Many homes in Winchester Park have video surveillance systems, and neighbors said the number of videos alone has become unsettling. “Last night I couldn’t even sleep because I was up every hour checking, checking cameras, seeing if anybody’s posting anything. It’s just like so stressful. And it’s taking over, like my life,” one neighbor said. For the residents, the message to the people they say are responsible is simple. “Stop,” one neighbor said. “You’re young enough where you can still turn it around. You’re not in any trouble now. Nobody knows who you are. Do better,” the neighbor said. Residents said Winchester Park has always felt peaceful. Now, they say they are watching and waiting to see who pulls in next. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less