"We don't feel safe:" Woman wants cameras at Park & Ride lot after thieves cut Jeep, stole battery

MILWAUKEE -- Commuters say a Park and Ride lot in Milwaukee is quickly becoming a favorite spot for crooks -- and you might not believe what they're taking!

Niki Hayek wants security cameras installed at the College Avenue Park and Ride lot to monitor potential criminal activity. Meanwhile, she says commuters shouldn't park there.

College Avenue Park and Ride

Hayek told FOX6 News she used to park her car in the Park and Ride's northeast lot. It became a great way to avoid traffic.

"It can be a beast," Hayek said.

Hayek would leave her Jeep Grand Cherokee in the lot, and then take a shuttle to work in downtown Milwaukee. That is, until one April evening when she got off the bus and walked back to her car.

Niki Hayek

"It was cold that day, so I have a remote start. I went to start my Jeep and nothing happened," Hayek said.

It turns out, Hayek was the victim of crafty thieves.

"I opened my hood a little bit and lo and behold, there`s no battery!" Hayek said.

Hayek says her co-worker's car recently had its wheels stolen. She said she wants something done about this.

A number of victims have called FOX6 News and asked us which law enforcement agency is responsible for this lot. It turns out, the answer is complicated.

Milwaukee police told FOX6 News this particular Park and Ride lot is sort of a jurisdictional "no man's land," along the city's edge.

Officials with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said the lot is owned and operated by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

FOX6 News did see some security vehicles patrolling the area Monday night.

Both MPD and MCSO deputies will respond to crimes-in-progress at the lot, depending on which side of I-94 the incident happens on.

"Cameras, I think, would be beneficial," Hayek said.

Since January 2016, Milwaukee police say they have reports of one or two car parts being stolen per month from the northeast lot at this Park and Ride location alone.

Within the last month, an entire vehicle was stolen.

Hayek and some of her co-workers have now found alternative transportation as a result.

"We don`t feel safe. That`s the biggest thing," Hayek said.

This is a statement from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office issued to FOX6 News: