Cars are vanishing from driveways. Mystery tow truck thefts leave SoCal drivers angry, uneasy

[ad_1] At 6 a.m. in early December, an unlabeled white tow truck cruised into Jesse Curler’s Chino neighborhood. Curler had saved up for 4 years to purchase his prized Cadillac CTS-V coupe, and in 30 seconds, it was gone.

The tow truck driver stopped in entrance of the automotive, latched on utilizing a self-loading raise and drove away with out ever leaving the truck. The theft of Curler’s automotive is a part of a sample during which automobiles have been snatched from driveways and neighborhood curbs throughout San Bernardino County, stretching again for practically a 12 months.

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“I spent three hours calling the encompassing police stations ... saying, ‘Hey, did you guys tow this automobile?’ and so they all stated ‘No,’” Curler stated. “That’s how I knew it wasn’t a mistaken [repossession]. My automotive was simply gone.”

In Southern California, repossession of a automotive whose proprietor is behind on mortgage funds isn't unusual. However firms are legally required to report the tow to police. Victims with whom The Occasions spoke stated that their vehicles weren't behind on funds, and that native police initially had no information of their vehicles’ whereabouts.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s officers instructed The Occasions in an announcement that they had been conscious of thefts utilizing a white tow truck of their jurisdiction and confirmed studies of the crime in neighboring counties. The division additionally stated it had elevated the case to a specialised division that was conducting an investigation.

“At first I assumed it was simply me, however then I went on-line and noticed that it’s occurring to so many individuals,” Curler stated. “My pal instructed me that he noticed the identical white tow truck driving round his neighborhood in Chino, too. This thief is simply on the market.”

On Fb, residents from Rancho Cucamonga to Victorville have shared video of of luxurious vehicles and Toyota and Chevrolet vans being towed from in entrance of their properties in incidents that date again to no less than March and as lately as New 12 months’s Day. The movies all present a tow truck pulling right into a driveway or alongside a curb and quietly leaving with a automobile.

Adelanto resident Adrian Medina stated he was in shock after his Chevrolet Camaro disappeared from his road in early November. After posting his surveillance video of the theft on Fb, he stated he acquired an outpouring of messages from San Bernardino County neighborhood members sharing similar tales.

“I didn’t even know this was occurring till it occurred to me. Any individual must cease this man as a result of, from what I can see, it’s been occurring since early final 12 months, and it looks as if it’s rising,” Medina stated.

In interviews with The Occasions, many victims of the thefts reported no updates on their missing-vehicle studies. However Curler stated his was discovered — in items. Police known as a few week after his report, notifying him that his Cadillac was noticed by license plate scanners in Compton and directed him to a tow yard the place it was saved. Ecstatic, he made the practically hourlong drive with a member of the family solely to find that the automotive had been stripped for components.

“I went to the tow yard, and that’s once they stated, ‘It’s been fully stripped.’ I am going take a look at it and it was simply fully destroyed,” Curler stated. “I imply, they even took the seats. Actually all the things was gone however the shell. I used to be heartbroken.”

San Bernardino resident April Zavala stated her automotive was stolen round midnight one evening in March by a white tow truck. She says police nonetheless haven’t given her any info on progress within the investigation into the theft.

“The one approach I do know it was a tow truck was due to our residence cameras. It’s the identical technique, backing up and taking the automotive in minutes,” Zavala stated. “I believe that it’s an auto theft ring.”

Authorities stated that they weren't ruling out organized crime within the investigation.

Zavala stated she had a few of her late mom’s possessions in her automotive when it was stolen, and that’s “what damage essentially the most.”

“That went with it,” Zavala stated. “I simply need the individuals which are doing this caught. It takes loads out of you once they take one thing that you just labored arduous for.”