The window of a car was shattered into pieces after a break-in at the Nuuanu YMCA Monday morning, and the victim is Honolulu City Council Chair Ernie Martin.
He posted photos of the damage on social media and and told KHON2 it was a hard lesson learned.
Martin said the thieves took his city-issued cell phone, but the suspect also left something else behind.
“Just the feeling that you’ve been violated. You know, everyone’s car is there personal space,” Martin said.
He was working out at the YMCA when he returned to his car, he found his window was shattered and his city-issued cell phone was taken.
“Normally you can’t see it because I get there so early in the morning, it’s still fairly dark,” Martin said. “I don’t take it with me when I’m in the gym itself.”
We asked if there was anything confidential on the phone.
“Of course you know all my city email information, all the personal information I have,” Martin said. “It’s a locked phone so it would be very difficult for them to break it.”
Vehicle break-ins are a heavily reported crime on Oahu.
According to crimemapping.com, dozens of break-ins have been reported to Honolulu police just in the last seven days.
We reached out to the YMCA of Honolulu and in a statement, the association said “Honolulu police have told us that this unfortunately is an occurrence that is happening more frequently at fitness clubs across the island.”
We’re told the last car break-in reported at the Nuuanu location was in February 2017.
Three cars were also stolen there in the last 18 months.
The YMCA said it does have a parking attendant who patrols the parking lot but they “continue to remind members to secure their personal items and to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”
As for Martin, his car is in the shop, but he hopes others will learn from his experience.
“In hindsight, I think you need to pay attention to what HPD has always warned, not to leave anything of value in the vehicle itself. It’s a lesson to be learned, a hard lesson itself,” Martin said.
Martin said he found a hydroflask in his car that didn’t belong to him so he believes that’s what the suspect used to break the window, and it was left behind.
Police took it in as evidence.
