Boston – A string of break-ins at Mass Ave and Melnea Cass lead a business owner to an unexpected find through the shattered window of his vehicle.
Gerry DiPierro, owner of DiPierro Construction, told Boston 25 News he was stunned to see a man sound asleep in the passenger seat of his company van.
It happened last week in a small parking lot used by DiPierro and Boston Medical Center employees.
DiPierro said a total of ten vehicles have been broken into in the last two weeks, including three of his company vans and his personal truck.
The sleeping auto intruder, who has not been identified by Boston Police, was taken into custody on multiple warrants.
“I look at all my trucks, and all my trucks are smashed. He was sleeping in the truck after he smashed into it,” said DiPierro.
DiPierro said on-going car break-ins and the violent attack of a McDonalds security guard over the weekend are the latest examples of urgent safety concerns in the area.
“They’re trying to get people off the street who don’t want to go anywhere. This is their home,” said DiPierro. “They keep cleaning up and spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money, and it’s just going round and round.”
Boston 25 News cameras captured people spilling out into traffic on Southampton Street on Monday afternoon.
Several tarps and other makeshift forts, banned by the city at the start of the year, were also visible.
“If you force people out of here where are they going to go?,” questioned Frankie Evans, who stays in the area. “They want the crime rate to be reduced, and now you’re going to put a bunch of people out.”
BPD’s street outreach team will be providing a public safety update about the area during Tuesday’s scheduled Mass & Cass meeting.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden is also expected to speak at the virtual meeting organized by the South End--Newmarket--Roxbury Working Group on Addiction, Recovery, and Homelessness.
A spokesperson with the DA’s office told Boston 25 News that Hayden will likely discuss the Service over Sentences program at Mass & Cass and his office’s targeting of drug dealers and human traffickers in the area.
A spokesperson with Mayor Michelle Wu’s office sent the following statement to Boston 25 News:
“The City of Boston understands the urgency of addressing the crisis in this area through equity-focused, public health-led policies that address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, and behavioral health issues. Each person within this population has unique needs and requires resources from a continuum of services, such as health care, behavioral health care, substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, and more. The City of Boston is constantly working to connect them with the appropriate services to support their health and wellbeing.”
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2022 Cox Media Group
