CHESAPEAKE, Va. — It’s the most expensive item you keep outside. This year in Hampton Roads almost 3,000 car thefts were reported.
Chesapeake Police Officers said it's because many people forget to lock their cars, or leave them running, and there are groups of people waiting to take them.
“We blinked and the car was gone,” said LaShawn Gray.
LaShawn Gray’s son left his car running in the driveway when he came to pick her up last week in Chesapeake.
“A white car pulled up, some young guy got out,” Gray said.
Their doorbell camera caught footage of someone hopping in the car and speeding off. Gray said her son was only inside her house for five minutes.
“You don’t think anybody would do anything like that,” Gray said.
She posted the video to Facebook. Norfolk residents commented back and told her two weeks ago they saw a white car dropping people off in their neighborhood, near the Naval base.
“They came through about 4:30,” said Norfolk resident Destiny Linderman. “They would fly through, stop, let people out who would scout the cars.”
Police Departments in all seven cities gave us their 2020 car theft reports:
- Norfolk- 783
- Virginia Beach- 614
- Portsmouth- 379
- Newport News- 319
- Chesapeake- 267
- Hampton- 251
- Suffolk- 133
“They are just criminals of opportunity,” said Senior Officer Leo Kosinski. “They will ride around neighborhoods and they are looking for anything. Packages on porches, vehicles running, unsecured vehicles.”
Chesapeake Police Public Information Officer Leo Kosinski said they haven’t gotten reports about a white car. They know it’s cold, but warn people not to become a target.
“Obviously it is not a good idea to warm your car up at all,” Kosinski said. “Even if you lock your car door, it is very easy for a perpetrator to come by and smash the window.”
Gray found her son’s car trashed in Norfolk a few days ago.
“It’s just a mistake that he did,” Gray said.
His wallet is also gone, but she’s thankful he is ok.
“Merry Christmas to them if they want to have the wallet, Merry Christmas to them,” Gray said. “That is just where we are with it, but I pray it stops before somebody gets hurt.”