A Florida family is vowing to bring their son home from Oakland, California, after being robbed in broad daylight while dropping him off at college.
Rhomel Crossman flew to California with his family on Saturday to register for his classes at Lincoln University, KTVU reported.
A football player from Coconut Creek, Florida, Crossman said he was “very excited” to have committed to playing as a defensive tackle at the Bay Area university in a February social media post. Those dreams have become hazy since all of his family’s belongings were stolen in just 15 minutes.
In the short time that it took the family to park their rented Nissan Rogue just a block away from the campus and pick up food from a nearby Jamaican restaurant, the SUV’s windows were smashed out, and their luggage was stolen.
Among the items taken were $3,000 in cash and several important documents.
“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” were stolen, Crossman’s mother, Nerissa Murray Watson, told the outlet.
A witness told the family that masked men were seen driving in a car without a license plate in the area around the time of the robbery.
“I didn’t know that these things happen in America, so it’s really strange to me,” said Murray Watson, who called 911 but was told to just go to the police station to file a report.
“To me, it’s lawless because we even called the police three times, and they said they can’t come,” the mother added.
A sleep apnea machine was also stolen from the vehicle.
“Now, I start feeling my heart, like, it’s pounding in the morning instead of feeling rested,” said Coren Leslie-Green, Crossman’s aunt.
After going through this terrible experience on what was supposed to be a fun and productive trip, the family says they are going to pull Crossman out of Lincoln University.
“I have to bring back my son to Florida because it’s not safe here,” Murray Watson said.
Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom is boasting of lower crime rates in Oakland.
Oakland Police Department data reported a 33 percent drop in crime compared to the same time in 2023.
“These results are a clear and concrete example of the effective partnership with state, local, and federal law enforcement in Oakland and the surrounding East Bay,” Newsom said in a June 11 statement. “Ensuring the safety and security of Oakland residents, we will continue to make our communities safer by taking down crime and holding individuals accountable.”
