ST. LOUIS — Gigi Breitenfeld and her family have only lived in Soulard for one month, and the St. Louis mom cannot believe they're now crime victims, allegedly as a result of a bad act by kids.
"It's concerning because these kids are so young," Breitenfeld said.
At about 11 p.m. Monday while she and her family slept, she said a neighbor called her after spotting several boys in her daughter's car. The 2016 Honda Accord was parked outside the family's home near 12th and Barton streets.
"It's disturbing for so many reasons especially because these kids shouldn't have been out at that time of the night," Breitenfeld said.
According to a police report, officers arrived and saw five males run from the car. The officers canvassed the neighborhood and detained three suspects just 13, 14 and 15 years old.
"Anything could happen to them committing these crimes, as well. I mean, they could be killed or hurt," Breitenfeld said.
The teen-related car break-in comes as police continue searching for five gun-wielding teens in a photo they shared with the media last Friday. Investigators call the boys in the picture suspects in a deadly mass shooting at a downtown party.
The "2022 City of St. Louis Family Court Report to The Community," released in late May, reveals disturbing data when it comes to juvenile crime. It shows the number of felony referrals police sent to juvenile courts jumped from 535 in 2021 to 878 in 2022.
Misdemeanor referrals increased from 459 in 2021 to 714 in 2022, and, status referrals, such as curfew violations, truancy and underage drinking, also jumped from 104 in 2021 to 158 in 2022.
"We, as a community, we have to do something," said Dr. Jameca Woody-Cooper, a clinical psychologist and professor at Webster University.
Woody-Cooper is not surprised by the troubling teen trend.
"Until we do something in our community about policing, better policing, better protection, parenting and access to guns, we're going to see this continue, and it's sad," she said.
"People are trying to band together and make the neighborhood and city better," Breitenfeld said. "My daughter now has three thousand dollars in damage to her car, and I think the parents of those boys should pay for it."
The three boys, police initially detained, were turned over to juvenile court.
Read the full City of St. Louis Family Court Report to the Community:
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