GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Stolen vehicles and car break-ins and thefts have been a “consistent problem” throughout the years, said GRPD Sgt. James Wojczynski.
2022 has been no different.
The department’s crime map shows that since January 1st, there’s been 93 reports of motor vehicle thefts.
On February 5, Vianca was one of them.
“I went outside to heat up the car before I put my kid in there because I didn’t want to put my kids in a cold freezing car,” said Vianca, who asked Fox 17 not to disclose her last name. “So, I heated it up. I came in the house to put my kids coat and everything on. Then when I turned around and looked out the living room window I see my car driving off from the front of my house.”
Vianca immediately called her mom. Then, she filed a police report.
“I never had nothing like that happened to me before,” Vianca said. “I hear about it all the time. But I never had it happen to me. So it was like shocking to me because I didn’t know what to do.”
Every day she called the police for an update. On Friday, February 18, they called her and said they found it near the intersection of Hogan Street and Century Avenue.
“When we went to the neighborhood the neighbor said it had been sitting there for two weeks,” she recalled. “Like, someone just parked it and the windows was busted out.”
Sgt. Wojczynski said that often happens. People will steal a car, take it for a joyride and then abandon it on any street in the city.
He added that it's usually a group that will case an area and scope it out before stealing a vehicle.
“It’s more so just cruising different locations: gas stations, party stores, things like that where people leave their vehicles unattended and running,” Sgt. Wojczynski said during a phone interview with FOX 17 last week. “They look for that or on the side of the road or busy intersections, you know, sometimes bars.”
He said they also will drive around car dealerships or auto body shops, break into the businesses, grab the keys from the lockbox and then steal the vehicles.
So he suggested, don’t leave your car running.
“Don’t leave your keys in your vehicle, any valuables in your vehicle, any firearms in your vehicle things like that that may attract someone to your vehicle,“ said Sgt. Wojczynski. “We also see a consistent pattern of catalytic converter thefts in the area.”
The Crime Map also showed that since the beginning of the year there’s been 139 reports of vehicle break-in and thefts.
Vianca suggested drivers put a tracking device on their vehicle. She also said it’s best to install cameras both inside and outside of the vehicles as well.
“My advice is to get cameras of course because we had a house camera but it didn’t reach out to the radius for someone to track the car because my street is off-street parking. So, the cameras don’t go out that far,” she said. “And just kind of be mindful of when you start your car up. Make sure all your doors is locked.”
