Thieves Using High-Tech Device To Break Into Cars Within Seconds
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Thieves are using high-tech devices to break into parked cars in Sauk Village, officials say.
Surveillance video in Sauk Village shows two men walking up to a car with some sort of device. Within seconds, the men are able to gain access to the vehicle.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports the criminals did not smash the windows or test their luck with unlocked car doors, but instead got into the vehicles electronically.
Surveillance video shows two people walking up to Eric Ellis' Honda parked in his Sauk Village driveway. That's when his front lights suddenly turned on and the doors opened. The men tried pulling the handles of his other cars, but did not have any luck.
"I walk up to the car, open the door, and everything from the glove box is sitting in the passenger seat. So that's when I knew somebody had been in here," said Ellis.
Sauk Village says the people seen in the video used an electronic device to easily pop open the car doors.
In similar cases, the security system on keyless entry cars can be confused into thinking the owners remote is nearby. Ellis was nowhere near his car when the men opened it.
"I do have a remote starter, so that does tell me that someone can reprogram whatever signal this is sending and put it to another fob," Ellis said.
All the men took was Ellis' jiu-jitsu belt and boxing gloves, a total of about $30.
"I just hope you can use those boxing gloves, because I do," he said, sending a message to the thieves. "I know better than to leave anything valuable in the car and just the matter in which they opened the car, I can't worry and go get security systems. That means I'm vulnerable. Everyone is vulnerable. I can't worry about something I can't control," Ellis stated.
Officials want to remind drivers not to keep anything valuable in parked cars. Residents in Sauk Village are asked to watch out for people roaming around, acting suspicious near parked cars.
No arrests have been made in this case.
