Monday morning at a North Side hotel near the San Antonio International Airport started with the sound of crunching glass, not complimentary breakfast. Guests stepped outside to find shattered windows and ransacked vehicles, with visitors estimating that as many as seven cars and trucks had been hit. Vacations and work trips suddenly turned into cleanup efforts, insurance calls and a crash course in emergency auto glass repair.
The break-ins unfolded at the Candlewood Suites on Portland Road, sometime between Sunday night and early Monday morning, according to KSAT. Officers at the scene said the trail of broken glass pointed to up to seven vehicles being targeted. Guests reported that burglars smashed side and rear windows, then grabbed tools and other belongings from personal cars and a rental. Police told reporters that a recent run of similar break-ins shows thieves often zero in on pickups, assuming guns or other valuables might be left inside.
Guests describe the fallout
One woman, who spoke to KSAT 12 without giving her name, said the thieves broke the side window of her husband's work truck while he was at the hospital for a medical emergency. "I'm going to have to spend all this money to fix my window," she said, adding that their other car would not start because its battery had died, leaving them doubly stuck. Another guest said burglars smashed the back glass of his rental vehicle and stole the tools he relies on for his job, effectively sidelining his workday. KSAT reported both accounts.
Police patrols and a pattern across hotel lots
Investigators and recent coverage suggest this dust-up in the Candlewood parking lot is part of a broader trend that has hit multiple North Side hotel properties this spring, prompting stepped-up patrols in those lots, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The incidents tend to follow the same script: suspects move quickly, smash a window, snatch whatever they can reach and take off, with work trucks and other utility vehicles often bearing the brunt. Police have increased sweeps around lodging areas near Loop 410 and the airport as they try to pin down who is behind the break-ins.
The investigation into the Candlewood hits is ongoing and no arrests have been announced. Guests are left dealing with busted windows, lost tools and derailed travel plans. Some visitors said that while the experience was unnerving, they were not ready to write off the city over a single bad night. Travelers staying around the airport are reminding each other to lock their vehicles and hide valuables from sight while officers continue canvassing the area.
