ABC News correspondent victim of car 'smash and grab' in Oakland, feels 'sad for the folks that do this'
Rising crime in California claimed another victim, this time it was ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee.
Zee, who frequently appears on Good Morning America, revealed in an Instagram post on Wednesday that she was the victim of a "smash and grab" and had several meaningful items stolen.
Despite this, she admitted it makes her "sad" to think about the circumstances of her robbers.
"Smash & grab was NOT what we had on our bingo card … that’s for sure. Grateful to be safe, the stuff they stole will be replaced… but it makes me sad for the folks that do this. Whatever circumstance gets someone to that choice of crime, I hope you know you stole things that are very meaningful to me too— items my kids made me I travel with etc, passport, my glasses - all of which I’m sure is trashed and the tech is being sold," she wrote.
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The rest of her Instagram post included warnings and advice for her followers to avoid the same fate.
"Something we learned and I want to pass on: they have been targeting rental vehicles & specifically hatchbacks. Our items were not in plain sight, low, covered etc and we were only grabbing food and using the bathroom. 20 min tops. Car was parked right across the street from the salad joint we stopped at between shoots. It was a beautiful sunny day, about 2 pm. Lesson learned: bring everything inside with you at all times no matter where you are," she wrote.
Zee, also the chief ABC News climate correspondent, reported she was "on assignment in Northern California for a big earth day piece."
Her fellow ABC correspondents replied with support for Zee and recounted their own experiences of being robbed.
ABC anchor Deborah Roberts wrote, "So sad. I learned that tough lesson years ago when my items were in plain view but car was parked just outside a hair salon. It’s a miserable and gut wrenching feeling of violation. Sorry for this Ginger. Really awful!"
"Oh no. Happened to a good friend at CNN - as they were doing a story - on this very issue. Glad you’re all ok," senior national correspondent Steve Osunsami commented.
"I’m so sorry, Ging! The same thing happened to us on a shoot in SF when we went for lunch," chief business and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis added.
In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to send 120 officers to Oakland and the East Bay after officials revealed that violent crime, robbery and vehicle theft in Oakland had increased by 21%, 38% and 45%, respectively, in 2023.
"As crime rates across California decrease — including right across the Bay in San Francisco — Oakland is seeing the opposite trend," Newsom said in the release. "What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable. I’m sending the California Highway Patrol to assist local efforts to restore a sense of safety that the hardworking people of Oakland and the East Bay demand and deserve."