It was late at night on February 11 th, and the residents of Cardinal Lane in Grand Island, NY slept peacefully, blissfully unaware that their vehicles were being rifled through. One neighbor must have been suffering from insomnia and saw the thieves in action, reporting their presence to authorities as they searched a neighbor’s vehicle for something worth stealing.
Three teens ended up in handcuffs, arrested for stealing GPS devices from parked cars in the area of Cardinal Lane by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies Jordan Grabar and Jason Clark apprehended two of the three suspects, one 17 the other two 16, following a brief chase through the yards of residents and a wooded area. The third teen turned himself in. All three of them were found with stolen GPS devices, all believed to be taken from the numerous unlocked vehicles they came across. All three of the teens face charges of petit larceny and the obstruction of governmental administration. They were released to their parents and given summons to appear at the Town of Grand Island Court; date to be determined.
Rocky Mountain Tracking would like to remind all owners of hand held or dash-mounted GPS navigational devices to lock your vehicles if you must leave the device inside. If you don’t wish to bring it in at night (which is your best protection against vehicle break-ins), be sure to conceal the device somewhere within your vehicle to deter thieves from breaking in even if you lock the doors. The glove compartment, a center console, or even under your seat offer thieves no clue as to the existence of your GPS device.
Thieves love to get their hands on GPS devices in this economy. To protect your investment, please follow this simple advice by making it appear as if you have nothing worth stealing.
