SAN ANTONIO – Residents of a Northwest Side apartment complex said the property’s broken security gates make them vulnerable to car burglaries.

The Oasis San Antonio, located near the University of Texas at San Antonio’s main campus, is a luxury residence for students seeking off-campus living, according to the company’s website.

However, some residents said the gates at the apartment complex, which they claim have been broken for weeks, have allowed car burglars to enter.

“I think the first day we all moved in, there were about four cars back here that were all broken into, just in a row,” Nayelli Lopez, a student at UTSA, said.

Lopez said that while she has not been targeted personally, several of her friends have been.

She said her friends had lost valuable property, which they needed for school.

“I know it was laptops, backpacks because that was during the day,” she said. “And then when it’s at night, they just rummage through the car.”

The burglars, Lopez said, appear to gain access by pulling on door handles to determine which cars may have been left open.

In other cases, she said, they have smashed windows.

“We had a few where their windows were out for months because, I mean, we’re all students,” Lopez said.

Car burglaries are an ongoing problem throughout the city and in that general area of town.

In October 2024, INC covered a rash of vehicle break-ins at two nearby hotels.

According to San Antonio Police Department data, officers responded to 22 calls for car burglaries at the Oasis San Antonio during the last six months.

Six of those cases happened alone in March.

Four calls for stolen cars have also been made at that property since September 2024.

“If there’s no gates closed, then people can just come in and out, free of access,” said Adonis Billingslea, another resident who has heard about the latest crime wave.

Billingslea and Lopez said they agree that break-ins hit especially hard for students, some of whom are struggling to make ends meet.

Another student who initially contacted INC about the problem said he had made several attempts to alert the apartment complex’s management to the problem, all to no avail.

INC tried to talk to the office staff about the situation Friday morning. However, they referred us to an off-site manager, who did not respond to the email sent by INC.

In the meantime, Billingslea and Lopez said they are doing their best to protect themselves and their property.

“Right when I get home, I make sure I take anything that’s of value, Billingslea said. “I make sure I take it right to my home.”

Lopez also said she makes sure she locks her car and parks in a location that appears to be more secure against burglaries.

“I noticed that they don’t break in when you’re kind of close to the building, so it’s first come, first served for parking,” Lopez said.

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