Occurrences of prowlers seen in Rohnert Park have continued following the creepy M-section clown reported on in last week’s issue of the STAR. This week’s trespassers appear to be kids and younger aged teens who’ve been spotted in local neighborhoods. Footage and stories related to these cases have been shared recently by community members on Nextdoor.
Reports of teenagers approaching front doors and intruding on property have been appearing on the app since last Monday.
On Sept. 26, Ring-cam footage was shared by a user on Nextdoor of a group of kids exploring R-section late at night. The video was recorded at 3:02 a.m. and it displays four kids all together, one of which approaches the front door and glances around the surrounding area.
Another posting came from a user on Sunday, Sept. 25., highlighting a similar scenario in which kids were seen walking around F-section late at night. Ring camera footage posted by the user showed the kids investigate some of their neighbors yard and glance around the front door.
According to users on Nextdoor, these kids are believed to be anywhere from 14-18-years-old based on appearance and could be a mix of both boys and girls. Although the actions of these kids are concerning, they’re not deemed illegal or criminal.
Fourth-year Sonoma State University student Sean Baron lives in R-section of Rohnert Park. “People definitely need to have more respect for other people’s property, especially our neighbors. There are always gonna be kids out and about up to no good so let’s just hope it doesn’t escalate further than this,” Baron said.
Other posts absent of video footage provide a verbal description of what has been occurring in neighborhoods. One post described a group of kids near C-section park making loud noises and believed the group to have lit off some small fireworks.
The author of the post described the incident, “ANYONE IN C SECTION. Be on the look out for younger kids causing a ruckus in late night hours. Last night at around 1 a.m, I heard a group of kids yelling and then followed by the sound of some small type of firework set off.”
The residential areas in Rohnert Park are composed of many established and older adults with the expectation to experience some peace and quiet at night. Rohnert Park also has stringent noise disturbance policies, so some residents of the city are upset at the ruckus. “That is outrageous, these kids just never know when to stop”. Another user said, “This has always been a problem with high school kids, but the use of fireworks is not only disrespectful, but also dangerous.”
Rohnert Park residents and students hope that these incidents don’t continue to occur on a regular basis. Third-year SSU student, Joey Botta, said, “There’s obviously a pretty diverse blend of ages within the neighborhoods just with SSU and Rancho Cotate being in the area. I think as neighbors, it’s courtesy to be respectful and considerate.” Botta continued, “High schoolers will always do dumb stuff. But moving forward, I hope they shy away from creating disturbances late at night, that’s just flat out disrespectful.”