Thief takes off with irreplaceable items from St. Pete woman's storage unit

When you lock up your belongings at a storage facility you might think they’re safe and secure, but that’s not always the case. 

Kristin Vidile found that out when a thief burglarized her unit at the UHaul storage facility on 2nd Avenue S. in St. Petersburg. Police shared surveillance pictures of the heist on the evening of March 9. The unit contained much of what Vidile brought with her when she moved here from New York. 

"There were so many boxes in this storage unit. It was my whole home, packed up into boxes," said Vidile.

But it was the loss of heirlooms from her grandparents that had her shedding tears.

"My grandmother’s recipes, my grandfather’s pictures of him in the war, my grandmother’s table she had from her mother," said Vidile.

She said one of the men in the surveillance pictures hired the other two who apparently didn’t know it was a heist. They loaded her stuff into a UHaul truck that was rented at the same 2nd Avenue South facility and later returned there.

The three men made a stop at a nearby ATM where the leader withdrew $240 to pay the helpers. A manager at the UHaul facility said this is all "news to him." He had nothing else to add. 

Vidile questions about how they managed to pull it off. She also has some advice

"Be cautious of what you put into storage because if they are irreplaceable items, they could be gone," she said. 

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St. Petersburg police are investigating amid an uptick in storage unit thefts nationally. Thieves often cut the locks. Some storage facilities offer individual door alarms on each unit. Some of them have an app that will notify you if someone goes in. 

Experts said to make sure you read the fine print of the insurance policies of storage units. They said you should also call your insurance agent to find out what your homeowners' or renters' insurance policy might cover at your storage unit. 

Vidile said no insurance can replace what they took from her.

"I feel violated in a way," said Vidile. "I mean these are very personal, private possessions."

If you know anything about the burglary St. Petersburg police would like to hear from you.