Residents at Fifth Street School apartments, a senior apartment building at 2770 N. 5th St., pleaded with the property owner for help when drug use, public nudity and other illicit activity took over the public spaces in the complex.

The trespassers, residents said, created an environment where tenants felt unsafe in their own homes. They notified the property manager and owner, Gorman & Company, requesting one thing − a security guard.

Residents who spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said they spent years expressing their grievances to the property management and Milwaukee Police but saw no real change.

Since 2020, there have been over 500 police calls made to the Fifth Street School apartments, according to Milwaukee police records. Despite this, the property was not listed as a nuisance − a designation that could result in fines for the property owner if changes aren’t made and additional enforcement support from the police department and the Department of Neighborhood Services.

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee family is asking for the community’s help after their car was stolen from their driveway with all their children’s Christmas presents inside.

Kristina Fults-Yang asked her husband Eli to start their 2014 Toyota RAV4 on what seemed like any other winter morning to warm it up before she headed out for the day.

“I came outside, literally didn’t see any cars here,” Eli said. “So I’m like, okay, someone stole our car.”

The couple discovered their blue Toyota RAV4 was gone from their backyard driveway earlier this week, leaving them without transportation and facing a devastating loss during the holiday season.

“On top of that, we had all of their Christmas gifts in the car, and we were just devastated,” Kristina Yang said.

The stolen items included approximately $300 worth of Christmas presents for their four children, plus their daughter’s car seat and stroller.

Watch: Milwaukee family’s car stolen with Christmas gifts inside

Milwaukee family’s car stolen with Christmas gifts inside, asks for community help

“Really sad to know that all the hard work that we’ve done to get things done, I actually picked up some days at work to try to make some things happen,” Kristina said.

Milwaukee police are investigating the crime and searching for unknown suspects. The department has reported just over 4,800 vehicle thefts so far this year, down 19% from the same time last year.

The Yang family is asking anyone who sees their blue Toyota RAV4 with a crack in the window and a dent in the back to report it to the police immediately.

They Yang Family

While the family has security cameras, they were not turned on the night of the theft, something they plan to change in the future.

“Just take caution because you don’t know until it’s you, and that’s how it was for us,” Kristina said.

The theft has put the family’s Christmas celebration in jeopardy, but they’re relying on their faith to get through this difficult time.

“It just kind of makes you wonder, is your family safe, is your household safe?” Eli said.

This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

• Milwaukee County has appointed Joe Lamers as the new director of its Department of Transportation.
• The appointment follows the resignation of the previous director amid a significant transit budget deficit.
• Lamers previously served as the county’s director of the Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance.
• The county’s transit system continues to face substantial budget shortfalls in the coming years.

Milwaukee County has chosen a new director to steer the county Department of Transportation five months after the previous director stepped down in the wake of a transit deficit that caught officials off guard.

Joe Lamers, who has spent the last eight years as director of the county’s Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance, will now head the transportation department, according to a Dec. 4 news release from the county executive’s office.

Lamers has been a pivotal player in the county’s efforts to become more fiscally sustainable as it faced a longstanding and ongoing structural deficit, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in the release. He has managed and developed recent budgets and led efforts to improve operations, grant development, public policy, and internal communications. The county’s reserve fund increased by about $90 million under his watch.

Lamers has also helped coordinate legislative affairs efforts, including negotiations for the state legislation known as Act 12, which delivered nearly $100 million in additional annual revenue for the county and addressed long-term pension funding challenges.

“Lamers has served my administration with integrity and expertise,” Crowley said. “His leadership in creating County budgets and initiatives has closed structural deficits and enhanced essential services for the community, including in public transit and transportation infrastructure.”

In late June, the county’s bus system agency, which is overseen and managed by the county DOT, blindsided local officials with news of a $10.9 million budget deficit, which now stands at $9 million after some course correcting. The shortfall resulted in service cuts in an effort to balance the agency’s budget.