Ann Arbor community concerned after rash of car thefts
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The Ann Arbor Police Department responded to six stolen vehicle reports on Thursday morning.
The thefts occurred overnight in two neighborhoods – on the 2000 block of Pauline Blvd. on the city's west side and near Sugarbush Park on the north side.
In total, authorities said five cars were stolen, with one attempted theft.
Police said they believe the crimes are connected.
"Whether it's one group or whether it's two different persons or groups of people, we're not certain at this point, but they appear to be related," said Ann Arbor interim police chief Patrick Maguire.
Maguire said the thieves appeared to target cars that are known to be easy to steal.
"It looks like thieves were either targeting vehicles where the keys might have been left in the vehicles, or there's some other manufacturers whose vehicles are known online to be particularly easy to steal, and it looks like those vehicles were targeted," he said.
In one case, the suspects entered the mud room of a home through a garage door that was left open and took the keys to the family's vehicle.
Kevin Cox lives on Ann Arbor's north side. His wife called him after she left for work Thursday morning to tell him his truck was gone.
Both sets of Cox's keys were in the house, and his truck was locked when it was stolen.
Police say some thieves have devices that can transmit signals between a key fob and the vehicle to get it to start – that even work through walls.
A neighbor shared ring footage with Cox, showing an SUV pulling into his cul-de-sac, then backing up, a man walking on the street, and, shortly after, his Ford F-150 driving away.
He said when he tried to access his Ford app, the thieves had turned off the location of the vehicle.
Cox said the whole situation has shifted his sense of safety in what is otherwise a very safe, tight-knit neighborhood.
"This is our safety. This is our home. At any given time, people can just walk into our houses while we're there because that's how we know people here," he said. "So, (I feel) violated."
Ann Arbor police are asking anyone with information or a Ring doorbell or security camera footage in those areas to share it with the detective bureau.
