MIAMI VALLEY — Several police departments say that teens are stealing cars and going on joy rides across the region.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, they say people continue to get behind the wheel of cars that don’t belong to them.
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“It’s clear that a lot of these are crimes of opportunity,” said Cindi Threkheld, Miamisburg Police Department PIO. “A lot of times when you have a vehicle stolen, especially when the keys or fobs are inside, it’s just a very quick crime of opportunity.”
She said it takes just moments for thieves to jack a car.
“Very simple measures can help ensure that your vehicle is not stolen. One of which is locking your car. Two is removing valuables from your car and removing things from plain sight from your vehicle to minimize that crime of opportunity.”
Threkheld says Miamisburg Police have seen over a dozen car thefts this year.
Riverside Police reports that they have had 25 since June.
Dayton has had 41 car thefts in the last 30 days.
“Don’t leave valuables in your car. Even if they’re targeting your car specifically, if they see one with those items in it, it’s more advantageous for them to go after those vehicles,” said Christopher Malson, Dayton Police Department.
One of those items they could be searching for is a gun.
Police officials say the suspects in these cases are primarily teens.
“It’s easy for them to hop in and take for a joy ride throughout the area,” said Threkheld.
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