FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Tuesday morning, the wheels were stolen off of a car parked in the driveway of a home on Kerby Hill Road in Fort Washington.
"The car was to the floor, the wheels were gone," said Teresa.
She told WUSA9 she felt violated by what unfolded outside her home as she and her son were asleep inside. The car, was her sons.
"This is my son's first car. He worked so hard for it and here come these thieves, you feel violated," said Teresa.
Tuesday morning, WUSA9 also caught up with Alyssa Rodriguez, near 19th Street and S Street, NW in Dupont Circle.
Rodriguez lives in Alexandria, but says she parked her car near her girlfriend's home, while they went on a weekend trip.
She came back home to discover her passenger side window smashed, and all four of her wheels gone.
"It just makes me uneasy and I just don't want to bring my car in here anymore," said Rodriguez.
She told WUSA9 she had locks on her wheels, and removed everything from the car, even the USB charging cable before she left.
"I took the wire that I charge my iPhone because I know if they see that it'll entice them to mess with my car," said Rodriguez.
But they the thieves were relentless. "They broke my window went into my glove compartment stole the lock to my tires and unlocked the lug nut," said Rodriguez.
It appears to be a growing issue across the area.
Around 7 a.m. on May 10, at the Ourisman Honda of Tysons Corner dealership, Fairfax County Police say the tires and rims were stolen off of four vehicles in the parking lot.
Investigators say two of the vehicles belonged to community members whose cars were being serviced. The other two belonged to the dealership.
The suspects apparently tried to steal wheels from a fifth vehicle that belonged to the dealership, but were unsuccessful.
Wheel thefts have been a growing problem across the DMV for some time.
Beebo the tow truck driver has been documenting the thefts for a while now. He told WUSA9 he's called to tow cars that have had their wheels stolen all across D.C, Maryland and Virginia.
In February, MPD shared their most recent number of thefts reported with WUSA9.
- There were 472 reports of tire and rim thefts from Jan. 1 – Oct. 10, 2022.
- There were 161 reports during the same time frame the previous year (Jan. 1 – Oct. 10, 2021).
- There were seventy (70) reported thefts of tires and rims from Nov. 6 - Dec. 5, 2022. The number of tire and rim thefts increased by 27% (from 55 to 70). when compared to the prior 30 days (October 7 – Nov. 5, 2022) and increased by 67% (from 42 to 70) compared to the same timeframe the previous year (Nov. 6 – Dec. 5, 2021).
The insurance company Geico shared some tips on how to prevent your wheels from being stolen.
- Install an alarm, with a sensor that can detect tilts or angle changes
- Park in a secure well-lit area
- Turn your wheels to a 45 degree angle when you're parked
- Park close to the curb
- Consider buying lug nut locks
But, as a reminder, "don't leave your lug lock key in the car because they're gonna break your window; they're gonna open the glove box take the key out and easily get it off," said Beebo.
The Metropolitan Police Department shared the following statement with WUSA9 Tuesday night:
"We will continue to proactively patrol our neighborhoods and communicate with our community members about these thefts. We encourage the public to be vigilant and call 911 if they see a crime in progress. If the community has any tips or video that could help detectives investigate these incidents, please contact us a (202) 727-9099 or text us at 50411. These tips can be anonymous. Our detectives continue to investigate and actively follow up on any leads.
Crime Solvers of Washington, DC currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia."