'In Oakland, California, you just gotta be careful,' Florida mother said
Family pulls son out of Oakland college after car break-in
A family was dropping their teen son off at college when they were "bipped," losing thousands of dollars worth of belongings and lost important personal documents. (Credit: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco)
A Florida family is no longer sending their teen to a California college after their car was "bipped" when they moved their son into his dorm on Saturday, costing them thousands of dollars in lost belongings and important personal documents.
Rhomel Crossman had just graduated from a Florida high school and was slated to attend Lincoln University in downtown Oakland this fall – but after they were robbed, his family told KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco, his family intends to rescind his enrollment.
"In Oakland, California, you just gotta be careful," Crossman's mother, Nerissa Murray Watson, told the outlet. "Everything is totally gone."
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Rhomel Crossman is pictured with his mother, Nerissa Murray Watson, at his high school graduation in a provided photo. (KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco)
Crossman's family flew into Oakland on June 15 and rented a car with Thrifty, the mother said. After registering their son, the family left their rental car parked a block away from Lincoln University on the corner of 15th and Franklin Street to pick up food at a Jamaican restaurant nearby.
When they returned 15 minutes later, the windows of the rented white Nissan Rogue were broken and their five suitcases stolen.
Among their contents were "three thousand dollars in a bag my husband put under the seat with three passports, social security cards, and my son’s high school diploma and birth certificate," Watson said.
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Nerissa Murray Watson said her family's car windows were smashed when they brought their son to Lincoln University for registration on Saturday, and that five suitcases containing valuables and personal documents were stolen. (KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco)
The family also lost a sleep apnea machine that they said they'd left in the car, per KTVU.
"Bipping" is a slang term that comes from the police language "burglary in progress" and refers to smash-and-grab robberies from unattended cars, according to the San Francisco Standard. People commonly use a "bipping hammer" – a small, easily concealed tool used to easily and quietly break car windows without much force – to break the windows.
Witnesses told the family they saw masked men driving in a car without a license plate in broad daylight, KTVU reported.
"I didn't know that these things happen in America so it's really strange to me," the Florida mother said.
"To me, it's lawless because we even called the police station three times and they said they can't come," she said, telling the outlet that their family was told to file a police report at the station.
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Crossman's parents said they are no longer letting their son go to college at California's Lincoln University, pictured, after the incident.
"I have to bring my son to Florida because it's not safe here," Watson told KTVU.
KTVU and Fox News Digital did not hear back from Lincoln University at press time. U.C. Berkley told the California outlet that they warn students not to leave belongings in their cars and educate them about safety practices during orientation.
The city of Oakland has recently reported lower crime rates, KTVU reported, touting a violent crime rate that is 30% lower than in 2023 and a burglary rate reduced by 60%.
Christina Coulter is a U.S. and World reporter for Fox News Digital. Email story tips to
