19 cars broken into at Cary, Morrisville fitness centers

Cary and Morrisville police are investigating a string of car break-ins that hit 19 vehicles in two fitness center parking lots on a Monday afternoon, including five cars at Planet Fitness on Cary Towne Boulevard and 14 more at the Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center. The cases unfolded in busy daytime lots where people were coming and going, a setting that made the thefts feel fast and brazen.

In Cary, Sandi Wilson said she was told several cars in the lot had been hit within just a few minutes. Her own vehicle did not appear to have anything valuable taken, but the break-in still left her with a broken window and the jumbled contents of the center console and glove box. Wilson, who said she and her husband have lived in Cary for more than 35 years and raised their family there, described the scene as especially unsettling because it happened in broad daylight at a place she had long considered routine and safe.

The Morrisville lot presented a similar target. The Morrisville Aquatics & Fitness Center is one of the town’s main recreation facilities, with three swimming areas, a group fitness area, a weight room, cardio equipment, outdoor lighted tennis courts and indoor racquetball courts. That steady flow of visitors makes the parking lot active throughout the day, and it also fits the broader pattern police have warned about before: vehicles left unattended in gym lots can draw thieves looking for quick opportunities.

Cary police have previously cautioned residents about break-ins of cars parked at gyms, saying those incidents have happened at all times of day, across different parts of the town and at multiple gym franchises. In this week’s case, Cary Police Department and Morrisville Police Department have not said whether the two break-ins are linked. Both agencies are still trying to determine whether the crimes were coordinated or simply happened close together by chance.

The concern reaches beyond one afternoon. In a May 8 case, investigators tied a multi-county car-break-in spree to incidents in Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Garner and Morrisville, with suspects targeting high-density parking lots and construction sites in search of guns. Police said more than 12 guns were stolen in that case. That history is part of why the latest break-ins matter to drivers in Wake County: an ordinary workout stop can become a target in minutes, even in broad daylight.

Town records systems in Cary and Morrisville give residents and reporters a way to track whether the pattern continues, but for now the immediate warning is simple. Lock vehicles, keep valuables out of sight, and do not assume a crowded parking lot is a safe one.