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At 6 a.m. in early December, an unlabeled white tow truck cruised into Jesse Curler’s Chino neighborhood. Curler had saved up for 4 years to purchase his prized Cadillac CTS-V coupe, and in 30 seconds, it was gone.
The tow truck driver stopped in entrance of the automobile, latched on utilizing a self-loading elevate and drove away with out ever leaving the truck. The theft of Curler’s automobile is a part of a sample wherein autos have been snatched from driveways and neighborhood curbs throughout San Bernardino County, stretching again for almost a yr.
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“I spent three hours calling the encompassing police stations … saying, ‘Hey, did you guys tow this car?’ and so they all mentioned ‘No,’” Curler mentioned. “That’s how I knew it wasn’t a mistaken [repossession]. My automobile was simply gone.”
In Southern California, repossession of a automobile whose proprietor is behind on mortgage funds is just not unusual. However corporations are legally required to report the tow to police. Victims with whom The Instances spoke mentioned that their automobiles weren’t behind on funds, and that native police initially had no data of their automobiles’ whereabouts.
San Bernardino County sheriff’s officers informed The Instances in a press release that they have been conscious of thefts utilizing a white tow truck of their jurisdiction and confirmed studies of the crime in neighboring counties. The division additionally mentioned it had elevated the case to a specialised division that was conducting an investigation.
“At first I believed it was simply me, however then I went on-line and noticed that it’s occurring to so many individuals,” Curler mentioned. “My pal informed me that he noticed the identical white tow truck driving round his neighborhood in Chino, too. This thief is simply on the market.”
On Fb, residents from Rancho Cucamonga to Victorville have shared video of of luxurious automobiles and Toyota and Chevrolet vans being towed from in entrance of their properties in incidents that date again to not less than March and as lately as New 12 months’s Day. The movies all present a tow truck pulling right into a driveway or alongside a curb and quietly leaving with a car.
Adelanto resident Adrian Medina mentioned he was in shock after his Chevrolet Camaro disappeared from his avenue in early November. After posting his surveillance video of the theft on Fb, he mentioned he obtained an outpouring of messages from San Bernardino County group members sharing equivalent tales.
“I didn’t even know this was occurring till it occurred to me. Any person must cease this man as a result of, from what I can see, it’s been happening since early final yr, and it looks like it’s growing,” Medina mentioned.
In interviews with The Instances, many victims of the thefts reported no updates on their missing-vehicle studies. However Curler mentioned his was discovered — in items. Police referred to as a few week after his report, notifying him that his Cadillac was noticed by license plate scanners in Compton and directed him to a tow yard the place it was saved. Ecstatic, he made the almost hourlong drive with a member of the family solely to find that the automobile had been stripped for components.
“I went to the tow yard, and that’s after they mentioned, ‘It’s been fully stripped.’ I’m going take a look at it and it was simply fully destroyed,” Curler mentioned. “I imply, they even took the seats. Actually all the pieces was gone however the shell. I used to be heartbroken.”
San Bernardino resident April Zavala mentioned her automobile was stolen round midnight one night time in March by a white tow truck. She says police nonetheless haven’t given her any data on progress within the investigation into the theft.
“The one approach I do know it was a tow truck was due to our house cameras. It’s the identical technique, backing up and taking the automobile in minutes,” Zavala mentioned. “I feel that it’s an auto theft ring.”
Authorities mentioned that they weren’t ruling out organized crime within the investigation.
Zavala mentioned she had a few of her late mom’s possessions in her automobile when it was stolen, and that’s “what damage probably the most.”
“That went with it,” Zavala mentioned. “I simply need the individuals which can be doing this caught. It takes rather a lot out of you after they take one thing that you just labored exhausting for.”
Anybody with data on the thefts is requested to report back to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Division on-line or at (909) 384-5742.
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