South Bend's West Side reacts to crooks stealing Halloween decorations

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- As the spookiest day of the year gets closer folks on South Bend’s West Side say it’s all tricks and no treats in their neighborhood, as thieves keep stealing Halloween decorations.

“I was super upset you know. It’s one thing to take you know stuff out of my yard, but to know that someone came onto my porch and stole stuff from here too, super unsettling," says Kayla Mortensen, a South Bend Resident.

Mortensen is one of several residents who’ve had their Halloween decorations stolen from their front yard. For many in her neighborhood, it’s disappointing to see someone targeting those who are trying to spread some Halloween fun!

“It’s concerning that you know people are going around messing with people’s things. Like we all have jobs that we you know we pay good money for things that go in our yard and for someone to come and just uproot them from you it’s kind of concerning," says another West Side resident.

Just a few minutes from Mortensen’s home another family who was not available for an interview shared with ABC57 they also had decor stolen last year.

In an attempt to still celebrate this year they tied down their decorations, but it didn’t stop crooks from hitting their home once again. Now it’s causing some residents to rethink how they’ll be celebrating future holidays.

“A lot of the stuff was expensive and that we’ve accumulated throughout the years. So I took everything down. It kind of makes me not want to decorate for Christmas either because we usually go all out for Christmas too and I just I don’t want that stuff potentially getting stolen either," says Mortensen.

For others they say while they won’t be giving up decorating they’ll be counting on their surveillance cameras moving forward.

“I’m always gonna decorate for Christmas. We’re all about decorating for the holidays," says a resident.

ABC57 reached out to the South Bend Police Department who say there have been no official theft reports made of stolen decorations since October 1st.