TYSONS CORNER, Va. — Fairfax County Police are investigating after the tires and rims were stolen off of four vehicles that were parked at a car dealership in Tysons Corner.
It happened around 7 a.m. on May 10, at the Ourisman Honda of Tysons Corner dealership.
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.
FCPD told WUSA9 they did not have a suspect description as of Tuesday evening.
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 the DMV.
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.