Drivers in a Connecticut neighborhood had locked their cars and taken the key fobs inside, but thieves still managed to drive away. An October 15 WFSB report describes thefts carried out using electronic devices while the keys remained in the house.
The thefts happened in Ledyard’s Highlands neighborhood, near Cartridge Trail. A resident who called 911 described seeing two dark SUVs coming up the road with their lights off, moving slowly and making little noise.
“I ended up seeing people running from the cars,” she said in the broadcast. “So that’s when I decided to call 911.”
Ledyard police followed the departing vehicles, but the drivers got away. One owner, however, had another way to help police find a missing car.
Inside the House
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The broadcast explains that the thieves used equipment to relay a key fob’s signal back to a car, allowing access even when the fob was inside a home about 50 feet away.
WFSB’s reporter described Faraday bags as small pouches that interrupt the signal, helping prevent someone outside from using it to unlock and take a vehicle. One resident had already removed the hook beside the door where her household kept its keys and was looking for a pouch.
GPS tracking on one stolen car gave its owner a location to pass to police. New Haven police recovered that vehicle and the second stolen car. No arrests had been made as of WFSB’s October 15 report.
Another Layer
The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends adding steering wheel locks, audible alarms, or GPS tracking to a vehicle’s defenses. Locks and alarms can discourage theft, while tracking can help locate a vehicle after it is taken.
Its basic precautions include parking somewhere well lit, closing the windows, and locking the doors. Drivers should take their keys whenever they leave and shut off the engine rather than leave a running vehicle unattended, even during a quick errand.
If a car is stolen, NICB recommends reporting it immediately and having the make, model, color, license plate number, and vehicle identification number ready for police. After filing the police report, the owner should notify the insurer.