Vehicle break-ins in San Diego have fallen sharply since 2022, and downtown neighborhoods are no exception.
San Diego Police Department data obtained and analyzed by Times of San Diego shows 422 vehicle break-ins were reported downtown in 2025, down from a four-year high of 579 in 2022.
The decline has continued this year, with 353 reports of thefts from parked vehicles through Sept. 29.
Despite the overall decrease, two neighborhoods continue to account for the largest share of break-ins.
East Village and Core-Columbia have traded the unwanted distinction of recording the most vehicle break-ins downtown.
East Village led the area from 2023 through 2025, but Core-Columbia tops the list this year with 88 reported break-ins, already exceeding its total for all of last year.
Core-Columbia, bordered by Little Italy to the north, the Marina District to the south and west, and the Gaslamp Quarter to the east, is widely considered the center of downtown San Diego’s financial district and, so far this year, downtown’s hotspot for car prowls.
The top block for car prowls in Core Columbia has been the 700 block of Broadway, just a few blocks from the federal and state courthouses and the Downtown Central Jail.
The surge in vehicle thefts in Core Columbia has propelled the neighborhood to fourth on the list of communities with the most vehicle break-ins, behind Pacific Beach, Mission Valley and Mira Mesa.
To prevent your car from getting broken into, San Diego Police recommends, first and foremost, making sure to lock your vehicle and to hide anything of value from the peering eyes of would-be car prowlers.
