Baltimore man, teen captured with dozens of stolen airbags in Howard County

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore man and teen were arrested after police caught them with 31 stolen airbags in Howard County.

Investigators are still working to find all of the victims of these thefts.

Howard County Police responded to numerous calls of airbag thefts early Tuesday morning in neighborhoods around Little Patuxent Parkway and Cedar Lane, according to police spokesman Seth Hoffman.

A witness to one of the thefts provided a suspect vehicle description which helped police locate the suspects by around 2:30 a.m.

Hoffman said charges are pending after a 25-year-old and a 15-year-old, both from Baltimore, were arrested after a short pursuit. 

Neighbors on Wild Ginger Court in Columbia woke up to find four of the parked cars in the community had their airbags stolen.

"No one really expects their neighborhood to be a candidate for a row of break-ins, but apparently we are," Shane O'Neill said.

Hoffman said at least nine of the 31 airbags were stolen in Howard County, but it is unclear where the others came from. and investigators are working to find where the rest are from.

Hoffman told WJZ these kinds of thefts are part of a national trend and there's a big market for stolen airbags.

"Airbags...are able to be resold easily, so that's really the M.O. of these thefts," Hoffman said. "They'll steal them, sell them to chop shops, or in other ways."

The majority of stolen airbags come from Hondas, according to Hoffman, and Howard County has been experiencing an uptick in these thefts since April.

The cost to replace and repair the damage from these crimes can really hurt your wallet.

Mike Michaels, the body shop manager and estimator at Mullinix Auto Body, Frame & Paint in Ellicott City, said they've helped numerous victims of airbag thefts.

"With everything, you're probably looking somewhere right around $2,200, or $2,500, depending on what airbag and what kind of vehicle it is," Michaels said.

While her car was spared, Shamika Fowlkes said these arrests have made her more alert.

"We shouldn't have to worry about if our things are broken into while we're in our home. It's supposed to be our safe haven," she said. "Nobody should come out and see that their car is broken into for whatever reason."

Hoffman recommends getting a steering wheel lock if you have to park your car outside.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau said around 50,000 airbags are stolen a year.