Even on a street where many residents have a tale of their property being stolen, the home invasion robbery and assault of a 75-year-old woman on Friday shocked many residents of Awaiki Street in Waipahu.

Police said the woman was sitting in the carport of her house Friday morning when she was confronted by a man believed to be in his 20s. During a brief struggle, the man reportedly hit the woman in the face. The assailant stole the family’s pickup truck and left with other unspecified property.

The woman was treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital. The robber remained at large Friday evening.

Another woman who arrived at the home late Friday afternoon confirmed the incident but said she and her family had been advised by police to not speak with reporters.

A next-door neighbor, Marilou Mendoza, said, "It’s scary. We moved in two months ago and I was wondering why there were bars on the windows. Now I understand."

Mendoza said she was especially disturbed by the daytime robbery because her three young children were at home with her in-laws. She said her neighbors are longtime residents who keep to themselves.

Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified because of safety concerns, said people have stolen a weed whacker and a leaf blower from his property. But he has never heard of anything as brazen as a home invasion taking place on their street.

"The neighborhood is getting dangerous," the man said. "You see people on bicycles riding up and down, but they’re not just riding their bikes. I call the cops when I see unfamiliar cars parked where they don’t belong. I don’t know if it’s drugs, but people just want to steal around here."

Mike Letuli, who lives two houses from where the robber struck, said he and his neighbors try to look out for each other.

In the three years he’s lived on Awaiki Street, he said, kids have jumped his fence to steal two of his children’s bicycles, a stolen van was parked outside his house for three days and his wife found a fugitive hiding in their outdoor bathroom.

Letuli said crime seems to have worsened since construction along Farrington Highway, which runs parallel to Awaiki Street, has prompted drivers to take a detour onto his street.

"There are just more people passing through," he said. "I try to keep my stuff locked up, but if a person really wants to steal from you, they will."

Ross Iwasaki, who used to live with the Letulis, agreed.

"People will steal anything that’s not tied down," he said.