University of Houston distributed a glass-breaking tool to students. Then 22 cars were burglarized.

PHOTOS: Houston area's notable crimes of 2018 University of Houston officials said 22 cars were burglarized on campus over the weekend after the school fire marshal's office distributed a life-saving tool for cutting seat belts and breaking glass. >>>See other notable crimes from earlier this year in the slideshow less University of Houston officials said 22 cars were burglarized on campus over the weekend after the school fire marshal's office distributed a life-saving tool for cutting seat belts and breaking glass. PHOTOS: Houston area's notable crimes of 2018 University of Houston officials said 22 cars were burglarized on campus over the weekend after the school fire marshal's office distributed a life-saving tool for University of Houston officials said 22 cars were burglarized on campus over the weekend after the school fire marshal's office distributed a life-saving tool for ... more Photo: Reddit Photo: Reddit Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close University of Houston distributed a glass-breaking tool to students. Then 22 cars were burglarized. 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Multiple University of Houston students recently found their car windows shattered around campus one week after the fire marshal's office handed out a life-saving tool designed to cut seat belts and break car windshields during flooding.

University spokesman Mike Rosen said UH police have no indication that the safety tool was used in the vehicle break-ins, but an online Reddit post has drawn hundreds of comments speculating about the connection.

The burglaries, which were reported Saturday morning, are still under investigation, he said.

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"If [the tool] was used, I suppose it's unfortunate that someone would use a life-saving device to commit a crime," Rosen said.

The break-ins involved 22 cars in a parking lot in the southeast portion of campus and at the Cullen Oaks apartments just south of the campus, he said.

The university fire marshal's office starting handing out the tool on the first day of class on Aug. 20. It is intended to be used during emergencies when someone is trapped in a vehicle. It's especially useful during a flood.

RELATED: Car burglars sought in rash of break-ins across Houston area

The Reddit post showing a message about the burglaries and a picture of the tool collected around 1,400 comments within 24 hours.

One Reddit user pointed out that many things could be used to break a car window. And if the tool was used, others questioned why the suspect would wait until after they were widely distributed.

"These aren't expensive to buy," one of the commenters wrote.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com