BELGRADE — Multiple residents of River Rock Drive near Belgrade awoke to a tag written on their car windshields—some of them, even with belongings missing.
"I’ve seen the LNT on a couple of vehicles. I’m just not sure where it came from, so I wasn’t sure if they were getting marked for a different reason," says resident Stephanie Smith.
In a press release, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a string of car thefts on River Rock Drive early Thursday morning, saying at least 10 vehicles were targeted.
All of the vehicles were marked with LNT, which some Facebook users say means "Late Night Thuggin". However, the Undersheriff Kopp tells us, they’ve not seen or heard of this tag before.
WATCH: Unlocked Cars Targeted: Belgrade Neighborhood Faces String of Break-Ins
Stephanie Smith says she was one of the lucky ones, "A little part of me is always like, safety first before anything else. So yeah, we don’t leave any valuables in vehicles and try to keep, if you have to leave something in there, make sure it’s not visible."
The Sheriff’s Office reports no vehicles broken into. Only unlocked cars were targeted and tagged.
Some residents, like Jason Reicher, didn't realize an attempted theft had occurred.
"At first, I didn’t know anything about it, and then my friend showed me this Facebook post, and it showed 'late night thuggin'. And so, I was like, it’s not just me, it’s everyone," he says.
Reicher says he left his vehicle unlocked after working on it until 2 am Thursday morning—guessing the tag must have been left on his car shortly after.
"I asked my neighbor because they have cameras. I was just trying to see if they saw anything, but they only have motion sensors, and it didn’t record it," he says.
Luckily, Reicher had nothing to steal in his vehicle—but others report belongings, including a firearm, stolen.
The Sheriff’s Office urges all residents to take proactive steps to avoid theft while they investigate.
Always remove valuables, lock your vehicle, never leave firearms inside your car, and report any suspicious activity.
"It’s on in River Rock right now, but I think it’s going to be in Cobblestone soon because the cops are going to be searching here, so other neighborhoods too should watch out," says Reicher.
