Thieves in an Albuquerque neighborhood are targeting the wiring in air conditioners, according to recent reports.
“I kind of crept over and looked out the window and I saw a dark truck parked on my side yard and a hooded figure trying to get the copper off my wall,” homeowner, Robert Cordova told KRQE.
Cordova lives in a recently purchased home in Elwood Park. It’s normally a quiet neighborhood in a desirable part of town. It never crossed Cordova’s mind that his air conditioning unit would be a target for vandalism and theft.
Cordova said trouble began when he woke up one morning to the sound of fire trucks outside his home. Apparently, someone had vandalized the AC unit and caused it to smoke. A few days later, he was awakened by a noise outside his bedroom window. When Cordova looked out he saw a hooded person trying to get the copper off of his wall. According to the KRQE report by the time Cordova turned on the light and located his cell phone, the thieves had gone along with his AC unit which will cost about $10,000 to replace.
“I was kind of amazed at how bold they are because it’s a corner,” Cordova said. “It’s very exposed and any number of neighbors could look out the window and see something.”
Cordova learned that thieves took the copper tubing and wiring from the AC of another home in his neighborhood. “You know thieves are out there,” Cordova said. “They’re looking for easy valuable targets and it’s kind of sad but as homeowners, we have to do what we can to kind of protect what we have.”
Being without an air conditioner can not only be uncomfortable in the summer heat but also dangerous. “If I had pets that were sensitive to temperature swings or elderly individuals that lived in the home that could be very dangerous,” Cordova said.