Take a moment and double-check that nothing valuable is inside your car. It's easy to forget to lock your car doors or leave something inside, but with how crazy the world is these days it's important to be an extra alert.

A break-in can happen anywhere and it doesn't matter how safe a town or place is. I was on Facebook the other day and saw a post in a local community group that was pretty shocking and it talked about a recent car break-in that happened in the Hudson Valley.

What exactly happened?

One employee walked out to her older grey Honda vehicle (which was parked in plain sight) and saw her back window was smashed open, just awful. It gets worse, her workbag was completely ransacked, and her cash and identification were all taken as well. She pointed out that her car was completely unlocked, it was an older model car and other nicer cars were parked around her vehicle, hmmm.

Where did the break-in occur?

According to the source, the incident happened in the McDonald's Plaza on 376 in Wappingers Falls and happened early in the morning. That area is usually pretty busy and people are constantly in and out of there so it's surprising that someone would pick there to commit a crime like this. Ugh.

How to prevent your car from getting broken into:

It's terrible when this kind of break-in happens, but there's always a lesson we can learn from it. What to remember to protect yourself:

• Always make sure your vehicle is locked
• DO NOT leave any valuables or cash in your vehicle
• Try to park in an area with a lot of light and near a security camera if you see one
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Call the police if you see something suspicious

The victim did point out that the police who responded to the call were very helpful and kind after the incident. Let's all be on the lookout for suspicious behavior in the Hudson Valley and keep an eye out for each other. Here's to hoping these kinds of crimes happen less and less.

Lets try to end this article on a positive note, here are ways to help your neighbors and how to keep your pets cool during the summer: