Thieves steal all four wheels off multiple parked cars across Sacramento County
SACRAMENTO — From Folsom to Fair Oaks, multiple people have had all four wheels stolen off their cars across Sacramento County.
Retesh Chand had all four wheels of his brand new 2025 Toyota Camry stolen in the middle of the night Saturday while it was parked at his Fair Oaks apartment located off San Juan Avenue.
"Less than two minutes, they were gone," Chand said. "It is someone who knows what they are doing."
He told CBS13 that it has been a headache to deal with — from trying to get someone to tow his car to lookie-loos.
"They just come in and stand here and laugh at it, take pictures and go," Chand said.
Samantha Worthington's car in Folsom was also recently hit.
"If you had mentioned this to me that this had happened to someone else, I wouldn't believe you. It just seemed totally off the wall," Worthington said.
Her car had all four wheels and tires stolen while she was out of town and her car was parked in her spot at her apartment complex in Folsom off of Folsom-Auburn Boulevard.
"I just felt kind of horrified, which seems like a traumatic word to use, but that's really how we felt," Worthington said.
Two cars in that complex had all four wheels stolen the same night. Staff there told CBS13 that Folsom police said Toyotas and Hondas are being targeted.
"I understand the value in a catalytic converter, but the trouble to go through to take somebody's wheels, I don't see a lot of value in the wheels," said Jason Rich, who works at ER Auto Repairs in Fair Oaks.
Rich and Don Eatherton, who works with him, had some advice on how to protect your wheels and tires.
"Noise brings attention, and they don't like that they usually get up and run from that," Eatherton said.
The two mechanics recommend getting wheel locks to slow down thieves and installing a motion detector device inside the car or a vibration detector underneath, both of which will sound alarms.
"We would ask they go get their system specifically for their car and their needs and then bring it in for us to install," Rich said.
Worthington told CBS13 that her insurance covered new wheels for her car.
"I really hope that this is not something that anyone else has to go through," Worthington said.
Chand worries that even if he replaces his, the thieves could strike again.
"We have no car. It's just so frustrating," Chand said. "Now I am thinking, 'Why did we even buy this car?' "
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office is investigating the reports it received in its jurisdiction.
The Folsom Police Department told CBS13 that it received had reports of wheels stolen from parked cars. It could not provide how many or any more information on the investigation.
