DAYTON, Ohio — More than 800 cars have been stolen in Dayton this year and more than 40 in the past 30 days.
Those stats are according to the Dayton Police Department (DPD).
News Center 7’s Kylie Bridgeman spoke to police to learn more about the rising thefts.
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DPD told us that most of the people stealing these cars end up charged in juvenile court but they don’t stay locked up long.
We spent the day talking to people who’ve experienced this firsthand.
Multiple cars are stolen in the city of Dayton. Police said one demographic is behind the wheel more often than not.
“The majority of our thefts are gonna be younger teens, younger adult suspects in the city of Dayton,” said Major Christopher Molsen of the Dayton Police Department.
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On Wednesday, DPD posted to Facebook that they’re calling for people to lock up their cars.
“We start getting in those 80, 90-degree humid days,” Molsen said. “People run into the store real quick, and I’ll just run in and get me something real quick. And I’ll be back, and they leave their car on to keep it cool. And then that’s a crime of opportunity.”
This is what happened to Andrew Holtz.
Holtz son’s car was stolen from a Burger King parking lot.
We were waiting at the drive-thru,” he said. “It was taking a while. I ran inside to use the restroom. And the second I walked into the bathroom door, the worker banged on the door and said that someone jumped in my car and stole it.”
For Nick Neff, his prized charger was taken right out of his driveway.
“It wasn’t just a car to me; a lotta people’s car’s a car, but that car was my first muscle car that I ever purchased, and now it sits in a lot,” Neff said.
Police said it’s happening to anyone, anywhere.
The cars aren’t always found, but Neff found his scrolling on social media.
“I looked on Facebook every single day for parts until I found a post that somebody was selling the whole car for $1,200, and I’m like, that car’s worth a lot more than 1200 bucks,” he said.
DPD told us these cars are often stolen for joy rides but are sometimes used to commit other crimes.
As for Holtz, his car still hasn’t been located, and it’s been nearly three weeks.
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