Lock your cars

Lock your cars. 

Not keeping your car locked puts you at risk and also puts others at risk. High end cars from communities like Maplewood are stolen by car theft rings.

HOWELL, NJ - Two men who allegedly fled from a stolen Mercedes in Howell Township over the weekend are now in custody, according to authorities.

The vehicle was reportedly taken from Maplewood - nearly 60 miles away - and crashed on Breckinridge Court after fleeing from police.

Two other vehicles drove over lawns and fled the area, according to News12 New Jersey.

The two apprehended men, later identified as Dwaine Jones of Newark and a 17-year-old juvenile, were arrested after being seen in the back of a Lyft.

The occupants are part of an "organized group" that came to the area to steal other vehicles, according to a statement from the Howell Township Police Department.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/holmdel-hazlet/2-men-arrested-after-fleeing-stolen-mercedes-howell-cops

Always do, though my car is way too old to be tempting for thieves.  I guess it's because when we were kids, Dad told us if our bikes got stolen while they were locked up, he'd buy us new bikes.  If they were stolen because we left them lying around, we were on our own.

mulemom said:

Always do, though my car is way too old to be tempting for thieves.  I guess it's because when we were kids, Dad told us if our bikes got stolen while they were locked up, he'd buy us new bikes.  If they were stolen because we left them lying around, we were on our own.

 I admit at times we've forgotten. But we always remembered to remove valuables.

There are some issues with the newer cars that aren't addressed by just locking your vehicle.  A lot of the newer cars have a key that doesn't even have to be in the ignition, just in the vicinity of the car, to allow the doors to unlock and the car to be started.  I've rented a few cars with this feature.  You never have 

There was an incident within the last couple of years where someone locked their car, but their spouse's reticule was left in the car while they went in to a friend's house for a visit.  The reticule contained one of these keys, and ruffians were able to just open the car, get in and drive away.

I believe once you've started said car, you can leave the key behind and won't have a problem until you turn the car off at your destination.  Without the key you can't turn it back off.  The point here is that if your car is in your driveway, and your proximity key is in the house but close enough to the car, someone might be able to drive off with your car.

So a car thief can just go from driveway to driveway, see if the car door opens, then see if the pushbutton will start the car.  

It amazes me how many car thefts in the police blotter state that the car was unlocked. One simple step to avoid a lot of heartache, hassle, and cost.

Not just unlocked, but left running:

January 11, 2021; Motor Vehicle Theft; At approximately 11:30 pm, a vehicle left running at Wawa was stolen. It was later recovered in Newark. 

January 14, 2021; Motor Vehicle Theft; At approximately 10:20 pm, a vehicle left running at the Burger King on Springfield Ave was stolen.

The News 12 reporter even mentions keeping the key fob inside the house at the end.

There are definitely crews that travel around the area trying car doors on a regular (if not nightly) basis.  The one night in about 10 years that my husband left his door unlocked, they stole the $2 worth of change he keeps in the car.  They made a real mess as they searched the car for anything more valuable.  

not only do people leave cars running...they leave kids and pets in the car,

https://people.com/crime/car-thief-returns-to-scene-of-crime-to-yell-at-vehicle-owner-for-leaving-4-year-old-son-inside/

https://nj1015.com/willow-the-cat-still-missing-after-stolen-jeep-recovered/

yahooyahoo said:

It amazes me how many car thefts in the police blotter state that the car was unlocked. One simple step to avoid a lot of heartache, hassle, and cost.

 Agreed! I also see cases of people walking away from the car while the keys is in the ignition. Seems crazy.