Brazen car thieves are targeting victims at unlikely locations, including car washes and funerals, as police warn drivers to stay alert.
"Be aware of any suspicious persons lingering by your car," the Nassau County Police Department posted in a warning on Facebook.
Police in the greater New York City area say thieves are hanging around car washes to target high-end vehicles. The perps allegedly hop in the car once the wash is complete and drive off – and such incidents have already repeatedly played out.
Earlier this month, a suspect wearing a mask got out of a blue BMW at Diamond Car Wash in Mamaroneck, New York, and jumped into a BMW X5 that had just been washed. The suspect then drove away before car wash employees knew what happened, according to ABC 7.
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Police say the thieves are meticulous when targeting cars.
"The blue BMW could be seen across the street, and he doesn't act right away, he waits for that perfect moment to jump out," Village of Mamaroneck Police Department Lt. P.J. Trujillo told ABC 7 of the incident at Diamond Car Wash.
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Another BMW was stolen at the Dip In Car Wash in Mamaroneck, while a Mercedes was stolen at a car wash in Manhasset and an Audi stolen from a car wash in Oceanside, according to local reports this month.
Police in New York are advising that drivers use car washes that allow them to remain in the vehicle or to ask the attendant to return the car’s key fob once the vehicle comes out of the wash.
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"You should never lose sight of your vehicle," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told WCBS 880. "As soon as it gets out, make sure that the company that’s doing it pulls that vehicle aside and then ask them to shut the car off and give them the keys as they go to dry the vehicle. Do not leave the car running in that situation."
Drivers can also buy a "kill switch" for their vehicles, which can turn cars off from a distance.
In Tennessee this month, criminals took another brazen tactic to steal: targeting cars at a funeral for a veteran.
"We were probably only a hundred feet from where the cars were to the grave site. We didn’t hear anything, didn’t have any indications there were issues," one mourner told Fox 13.
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Family and friends gathered at the Memphis Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens in Bartlett on Monday to celebrate the life of Air Force veteran D’Laine Camp, 91. When mourners returned to their vehicles, they found some car windows were broken and personal items were stolen, including one woman’s purse.
"When we went back to our cars, I looked … like my window had been left open. I said, ‘Well, I didn’t leave my window open.’ It wasn’t left open. It was burst out," one man told Fox 13.
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A similar situation played out in Maryland earlier this month when mourners left a funeral service for an Army veteran and found that several cars at the cemetery were broken into. While earlier this year in Illinois, a car thief also targeted a funeral home, driving off with the establishment’s van, which had a dead body in the back.
Cities across the country have reported an increase in car thefts and break-ins in recent months. In 2021, thieves stole 932,329 across the country, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which marks a 6% increase over 2020 and 17% increase over 2019.
