Showing posts with label Stolen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stolen. Show all posts
Monday, October 05, 2026
An 18-year-old from was arrested after police said he stole a Star Brass steam whistle before it was stolen from the 1921 Cooke steam locomotive at Central Park in Sutherlin, Oregon. (thank you George! )
Saturday, September 19, 2026
the 9th circuit court of appeals reversed a dismissal and ordered the case reopened over insurer claims over immobilizer-free Kia and Hyundai models, raising fresh questions about theft risk and future anti-theft tech.
Kia and Hyundai are back in federal court over a theft wave that made national headlines for years, and this time insurers hold the wheel. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a dismissal on September 14, ordering a Santa Ana judge to reopen claims worth more than $1 billion.
About 200 insurance companies allege that the automakers' Korean parent entities knowingly shipped vehicles without engine immobilizers into California ports.
The theft spree traces back to a design gap nobody outside the factory noticed for years. UCLA anthropology professor Jeffrey Brantingham put it bluntly: "Thieves didn't know these Hyundai and Kia cars were easy to steal until about 2020." Once TikTok tutorials spread, that changed fast.
Los Angeles saw thefts roughly double between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020, a spike researchers tie to idle cars sitting through pandemic lockdowns across the county's nearly 8 million registered vehicles. A UCLA study now projects elevated theft rates for these vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models will persist through 2042.
Los Angeles saw thefts roughly double between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020, a spike researchers tie to idle cars sitting through pandemic lockdowns across the county's nearly 8 million registered vehicles. A UCLA study now projects elevated theft rates for these vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models will persist through 2042.
Friday, September 18, 2026
Friday, August 14, 2026
A 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle stolen in 1993 in San Mateo County has finally been returned to its original owner, after a recent vehicle identification number inspection by officers with CHP's Auburn office discovered the car's situation
Thursday, August 06, 2026
The Canadian Police recovered 392 stolen vehicles worth an estimated $28 million before overseas export from Canadian ports. The recoveries occurred in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Project NoCargo began in June 2025 after investigators identified a growing export-fraud threat. The program targets organized crime networks using stolen or manufactured identities. Those credentials can secure vehicle loans and insurance policies. Criminals then attempt to ship the fraudulently obtained vehicles overseas.
INTERPOL Ottawa identified the trend during 2025, according to the RCMP. Criminal networks used compromised or fabricated personal information to purchase vehicles. They also used those credentials to obtain insurance coverage.
The CBSA intercepted 1,590 stolen vehicles in rail yards and ports during 2025.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/392-stolen-vehicles-worth-28m-stopped-before-overseas-export-rcmp-says
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
scam alert, thieves now “utilize a fraudulent transportation company to acquire luxury vehicle transportation ‘jobs’ by legitimate auto dealerships"
“Essentially, the seller/buyer will solicit a vehicle for transportation, and will unknowingly be contracting a thief, utilizing a fraudulent transportation business, to transport their newly sold/purchased luxury vehicle,” Anca wrote. “Once the thief is in possession of the vehicle, the thief will completely cut ties with the victim, depriving the victim (of) their vehicle, essentially stealing it.”
Authorities said suspects frequently sublease the jobs on purpose to “create confusion and layers to protect themselves and thwart law enforcement investigations.”
“In most cases, the subcontracted drivers are innocent and do not realize they are transporting and dropping off a luxury vehicle to a thief, posing as a legitimate car carrier/transport company,”
“In most cases, the subcontracted drivers are innocent and do not realize they are transporting and dropping off a luxury vehicle to a thief, posing as a legitimate car carrier/transport company,”
Monday, April 13, 2026
never let a chance for good free publicity go to waste!
A KitKat truck in Canada was flanked by a security escort through Toronto, on Wednesday (8 April), following the theft of more than 400,000 bars in Europe.
Nestlé confirmed that thieves had made off with around 12 tons of the chocolate, after a vehicle carrying its new chocolates set off from central Italy bound for Poland but did not reach its final destination.
The stolen vehicle and the merchandise remain unaccounted for. The food giant said they are working with local authorities and supply partners to investigate.
KitKat Canada leaned into the headlines, transforming a logistics nightmare into a marketing bonanza!
Last month, approximately 12 tons (over 413,000 bars) of KitKat chocolate, specifically a new Formula 1 line, were stolen while in transit from an Italian production site to Poland. The heist occurred just before Easter, and both the truck and the cargo remain missing.
Sunday, April 05, 2026
1,800 stolen catalytic converters, and four cars, were recovered during a massive bust in Baldwin Park
Investigators eventually identified a location in South Los Angeles where stolen converters were allegedly being purchased, and a storage unit location in Norwalk that was being used as a storage site.
On Tuesday, law enforcement carried out an operation at the Norwalk location. Four people were arrested for selling and purchasing suspected stolen catalytic converters, police said.
Saturday, April 04, 2026
"Hold My Beer and Watch This" was invented in 1986 when a fan attended the 1986 Winston 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway and took the pace car on a joy ride. He was chased for two laps before being stopping for state troopers by the track crew
Wednesday, April 01, 2026
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
the Jeep Wrangler is the most stolen vehicle in San Diego
Honda Civics were just behind as the second most stolen with 190
followed by the Toyota Tacoma with 151
Monday, February 09, 2026
Here's a strange, but car related news item, A man named Allen Rex Roberts was charged with possession of a stolen car in August 2021. Now, the severe shortage of public defenders has resulted in 1400 cases getting dismissed
The charges were dismissed in October 2022 because of the state’s failure to appoint him a lawyer, but in April 2024, prosecutors re-indicted Roberts on the same charges. For the next year, Roberts repeatedly returned to court for hearings where he was supposed to be appointed counsel, but each time no attorney was available. Eventually, his case was again dismissed due to a lack of attorneys.
The case highlights the situation that resulted in the Oregon supreme court ruling that a large number of criminal cases across the state must be dismissed due to a severe shortage of public defenders, a major decision that attorneys say will impact more than 1,400 pending cases.
The problem has been years in the making and has become a significant constitutional crisis, as people charged with crimes are routinely unable to fight their cases as they wait weeks, months or sometimes years for the state to appoint them lawyers.
The attorney shortage is a systemic and statewide problem in Oregon, and the causes are complex, with criminal defense lawyers noting the state has long underfunded public defense, leaving few public defenders overwhelmed with massive caseloads. A backlog of cases during the pandemic and increasing time required to review materials like body-camera footage and digital evidence has further strained the system, advocates say.
Nadia Dahab, a Portland-based attorney who argued the Roberts case, said she hoped the ruling would force the state to pursue a “solution that recognizes the importance of access to counsel for people charged with a crime and allocates the resources necessary to make sure the public defense system adequately protects them”.
“Roberts,” she added, “is one of thousands, and the harms he suffered through the arrest warrant when the state recharged him and through the impact of having to take off work to go to court every month – those are very exemplary of what lots of others are facing.”
Oregon’s department of justice had argued against blanket dismissals in the Roberts case.
Sunday, February 01, 2026
a couple worked a car theft scam across the Northeast, stealing or attempting to steal high-value cars and pickup trucks by relying on test drives, subtle distractions, and modern key technology to walk away with vehicles worth $2.4M across Ct, NY, and NJ
The investigation, led by the Old Saybrook Police Department, ultimately linked at least 20 vehicles to the same two-person operation.
According to police, the couple followed a consistent pattern when visiting dealerships. They would arrive posing as legitimate buyers, often asking to see or test-drive specific high-dollar trucks, like the Ford F-450 Super Duty. During those visits, investigators believe the male suspect either swapped the vehicle’s original key fob with a decoy or cloned it using the vehicle’s OBDII port, a process that can take less than a minute with the right equipment.
The woman allegedly played a key role in the distraction. In one documented case, police say she acted “playful” with a salesperson, drawing attention away from the vehicle while her partner started it or accessed the electronics. Once the key was cloned or swapped, the pair would leave without incident.
Thank you Doug!
Saturday, January 24, 2026
sheriff's deputies pulled over a 79 Cadillac for speeding on PCH, and discovered 2 surprises, a homeless man was behind the wheel, and it was stolen from Jerry O'Connell.
It was stolen from O'Connell's Calabasas home in the west San Fernando Valley.
O'Connell and his family were out of town and were not aware the car had been stolen, the sheriff's department said.
Monday, January 19, 2026
the insurance company that didn't bother checking the security of Lockwood Leasing in Canada is learning how expensive it was to not verify that the cars couldn't be driven away by thieves. Some just did. Either the alarm wasn't switched on or there was no alarm of any value installed.
thieves broke into the dealership, pried open a lock box full of keys with a crowbar, then drove away a Ferrari 812 GTS, a Porsche 911 GT3, two Mercedes-Benz S580s and two BMW M4 models.
What the hell was preventing the cars from driving away? Wet noodles? There were no blockers
10 thieves in the crew, simply smashed the glass door to the premises, used a pry bar to open the key safe, moved the furniture, and drove the cars away.
https://carbuzz.com/ferrari-812-gts-porsche-911-gt3-cars-stolen/
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
a retired sales manager from Southlake, Texas, never stopped searching for his 1967 Austin-Healey after it disappeared from outside his Philadelphia home in 1970.
The car was stolen the morning after he took his future wife on their second date, giving it deep sentimental value that went far beyond its price.
“I never gave up looking for it,” Russell said. “The fact that the car still exists is improbable. It could have been junked or wrecked years ago.”
Russell originally paid a friend $3,000 for the sports car and spent years casually searching for it online, though he admitted he had little hope of ever finding it again. That changed in 2012 when he spotted a familiar-looking Austin-Healey listed for sale on eBay by a Beverly Hills dealership.
Suspicious but hopeful, Russell contacted the seller and confirmed that the vehicle identification number matched his original car. He still had the original title and key, though he no longer possessed a copy of the police report from the theft.
With the help of Philadelphia police, Russell discovered the original stolen-car report had never appeared in the FBI’s national crime database due to a clerical error in the VIN. Once the mistake was corrected, the case was reopened, allowing Los Angeles County authorities to impound the vehicle.
Russell and his wife, Cynthia, flew to California to reclaim the car. Today, the Austin-Healey is valued at approximately $23,000.
“It still runs, but the brakes aren’t great,” Russell said. “We’re going to put it back exactly the way it was.”
Thursday, December 04, 2025
Two snowplow trucks were stolen from a Troy Michigan shopping plaza just hours before crews were scheduled to clear snow from the 25-acre parking lot... well, they left the keys IN THE TRUCKS so thieves could help themselves. Ain't gonna be an insurance claim.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
A parking inspector and his wife have been arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than €1m (£878,000) from a small German town's parking meters.
taking coins out of parking meters and placing them in bank accounts that his wife had access to, local police said in a statement.
A money laundering report by a credit institution alerted investigators to the suspected theft.
The man faces 720 alleged incidents of theft, and subsequent cash being deposited into bank accounts and his wife faces 720 charges of aiding and abetting theft
Wrap your mind around how much the parking must cost, per hour, for this nearly million Euro to have been unnoticed by the city, for long enough for 720 chargeable counts of theft to happen.
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