ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Even though they are surrounded by vigilant neighbors, an elderly Albuquerque couple is dealing with a totaled car, broken glass, and a missing mode of transportation.

Neighbors told KOB 4 it’s sad, but not surprising now.

“It’s just not — ah, I don’t know, it’s just so crazy to see how it’s turned out,” said Melonie Delgado. 

Delgado has lived in a neighborhood just north of Expo New Mexico in northeast Albuquerque her entire life. 

“We used to be able just to walk everywhere, you know, go play over here at the school or oh my gosh Jerry Cline Park, and it is not what it used to be,” Delgado said.

When she saw a post pop up on her Ring camera app about a stolen scooter and air conditioning unit about two blocks from her house, she wasn’t shocked.

“When I see all the stuff go on Nextdoor or the Ring app it’s like ‘Oh OK, you know, someone’s stealing packages.’ But when someone got into the house and stole the car like that was kinda crazy,” Delgado said. 

The home reportedly belongs to an elderly couple who recently moved out but left a few things behind. 

The family says the thefts started earlier this month when someone allegedly broke their back door and stole the family’s SUV. 

Police found the car at a business less than two miles away, with fentanyl and other items from the family’s home inside. 

Investigators say Joshua O’Neal had the keys. Officers arrested him, and he was out of jail the next day. 

They say another thief stopped by Sunday. The first video shows him in the front yard around 2 p.m. and he returns to the garage around 6 p.m. and leaves with a scooter. 

Around midnight, video shows another trip to the garage for an air conditioning unit. Another angle shows an Albuquerque police officer checking the front yard around 2 a.m.

“It’s just it’s not what it used to be, it’s just scary. We always have to watch out for our neighbors and each other,” Delgado said. 

Delgado says she had her own experience with a potential thief about a month ago. 

“I just heard all the dogs barking and I happened to look outside and this guy — we have high brick walls, and he jumped it and I guess someone had maced him prior so he was like, ‘Someone maced me can I get some water?’ Yeah, and then he tried to take off with our bike,” Delgado said.

She believes the change can be traced to a few neighborhood hot spots. 

“I’d say from this block all the way up to Buffet’s, it’s crazy. And then that hotel over there, I think it’s called Barcelona Suites, it is just scary to go in that area,” Delgado said. “It is sad, I don’t even wanna live in this neighborhood anymore.”

The first suspect, O’Neal, is listed as homeless on court documents. He’s scheduled for a hearing in May.

If you recognize the scooter thief, contact APD.