Shameless car thieves catching victims unaware at funerals, car washes amid national crime spike

Brazen car thieves are targeting victims astatine improbable locations, including car washes and funerals, arsenic constabulary pass drivers to enactment alert. 

"Be alert of immoderate suspicious persons lingering by your car," nan Nassau County Police Department posted successful a informing connected Facebook.

Police successful nan greater New York City area opportunity thieves are hanging astir car washes to target high-end vehicles. The perps allegedly hop successful nan car erstwhile nan lavation is complete and thrust disconnected – and specified incidents person already many times played out.

Earlier this month, a fishy wearing a disguise sewage retired of a bluish BMW astatine Diamond Car Wash successful Mamaroneck, New York, and jumped into a BMW X5 that had conscionable been washed. The fishy past drove distant earlier car lavation labor knew what happened, according to ABC 7.

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Diamond Car Wash successful Mamaroneck, New York. (Google Maps)

Police opportunity nan thieves are meticulous erstwhile targeting cars. 

"The bluish BMW could beryllium seen crossed nan street, and he doesn't enactment correct away, he waits for that cleanable infinitesimal to jump out," Village of Mamaroneck Police Department Lt. P.J. Trujillo told ABC 7 of nan incident astatine Diamond Car Wash. 

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Another BMW was stolen astatine nan Dip In Car Wash successful Mamaroneck, while a Mercedes was stolen astatine a car lavation successful Manhasset and an Audi stolen from a car lavation successful Oceanside, according to section reports this month. 

Police opportunity thieves are hanging astir car washes to target high-end vehicles. (Florian Gaertner / Photothek via Getty Images / File)

Police successful New York are advising that drivers usage car washes that let them to stay successful nan conveyance aliases to inquire nan attendant to return nan car’s cardinal fob erstwhile nan conveyance comes retired of nan wash. 

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"You should ne'er suffer show of your vehicle," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told WCBS 880. "As soon arsenic it gets out, make judge that nan institution that’s doing it pulls that conveyance speech and past inquire them to unopen nan car disconnected and springiness them nan keys arsenic they spell to barren nan vehicle. Do not time off nan car moving successful that situation."

Drivers tin besides bargain a "kill switch" for their vehicles, which tin move cars disconnected from a distance.

In Tennessee this month, criminals took different brazen maneuver to steal: targeting cars astatine a ceremonial for a veteran.

"We were astir apt only a 100 feet from wherever nan cars were to nan sedate site. We didn’t perceive anything, didn’t person immoderate indications location were issues," 1 mourner told Fox 13.

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Family and friends gathered astatine nan Memphis Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens successful Bartlett connected Monday to observe nan life of Air Force seasoned D’Laine Camp, 91. When mourners returned to their vehicles, they recovered immoderate car windows were surgery and individual items were stolen, including 1 woman’s purse. 

"When we went backmost to our cars, I looked … for illustration my model had been near open. I said, ‘Well, I didn’t time off my model open.’ It wasn’t near open. It was burst out," 1 man told Fox 13.

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Cedar Hill Cemetery is successful Suitland, Maryland. (Google Maps)

A akin business played retired successful Maryland earlier this period erstwhile mourners near a ceremonial work for an Army seasoned and recovered that respective cars astatine nan cemetery were surgery into. While earlier this twelvemonth successful Illinois, a car thief besides targeted a ceremonial home, driving disconnected pinch nan establishment’s van, which had a dormant assemblage successful nan back.

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Cities crossed nan state person reported an summation successful car thefts and break-ins successful caller months. In 2021, thieves stole 932,329 crossed nan country, according to nan National Insurance Crime Bureau, which marks a 6% summation complete 2020 and 17% summation complete 2019.