NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Police Department is investigating multiple car burglaries near Mardi Gras World on Tchoupitoulas Street.
The break-ins happened Tuesday night in a parking lot that was reserved for a film crew that’s working on the movie “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage.
Glass that was left behind in the parking lot Wednesday morning shows evidence of the crime.
Around 3:30 Wednesday morning, the film crew received an email from production managers, stating that there wouldn’t be any officers on-site to take reports because of the volume of cars that were hit and a lack of officers.
Crew members were provided a link to file a report online.
According to a spokesman for the New Orleans Police Department, officers with the Sixth District received a call about the burglaries shortly before midnight, hours before the email was sent.
The spokesman said officers arrived about thirty minutes after receiving the call and that they are working to gather information on seven vehicle burglaries.
Police received another call about additional burglaries, and that call was referred to the Alternative Police Reporting Unit, which processes reports online.
At this time, it’s unclear exactly what items were stolen.
Some crew members say they now don’t feel safe and that someone needs to be held responsible for the damages.
Around noon on Wednesday, WGNO’s Jordan Lippincott visited the film’s production office for comment, but they declined to speak.
Crescent City Consulting, which was called after the burglaries to assist Reel Security with the job, will be increasing security, starting Wednesday night.
But one issue that may delay the repair of the cars is a shortage of glass.
Erik Kliebert, owner of Mobile Windshield Repair & Headlight Restoration, says he gets between 30 and 40 calls a day from car owners who need glass repairs. But he says it’s hard to find the glass right now, because “the supply just isn’t there.”
If you have any information about these crimes, call NOPD’s Sixth District at 504-658-6060 or Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111. Your tip can remain anonymous.