Truck May Have Been Scouted For Theft?

When I park I back my truck up against a small hill. This morning at 6AM I walk out to my truck and hit the fob to unlock the doors. Some guy just appears from behind, underneath, or from the far side of the truck and walks up the hill and down to the end of the street, then turns around, and walks down the opposite way.

He was underdressed for the weather. I could not see what he was doing and he didn't leave any tools or anything behind. I tried following him but didn't see where he went. There's the back of a shopping center and an old folks home behind my parking area.

I saw one vehicle that I don't normally see and it was a newer Chevy utility van with a light bar. It was a company van for a body and emergency auto repair place, but the guy didn't walk to it, at least while I was there.

The last time my car was scouted I walked out to it about 3 weeks later to find the driver's side seat and airbag gone.

What do you think? Got any (legal) suggestions for my next moves?

 

Great suggestions! Deductible for theft and such is $100 now...I dropped it from $500 after my car was broken into.

I'll get the Fairfax County PD non-emergency dispatch number in my phone today. The station is literally 2 blocks from where I live.

I usually get up on my own between 2 and 3AM for some unknown reason. I think I'll take a short walk outside when I do before going back to sleep.

An alarm is something I've been tossing around in my head for a while. I'll look at them again!

 

Somebody has broken in to your truck before, and it looks like somebody is scouting it for another break in. Time to stop tossing the idea of an alarm around and go get one.

Try to find one that spits fire.

 

Also... It could be worse. A guy came out to his car and found a note and other evidence that somebody broke in to his car and used it for other reasons...

The website hosting the pic has ads that could be considered NSFW, just so you know.

 

I'll check it out when I get home. Thanks! The pic is Xed out here so I'm sure the webfilter is working on it.

It was my 350Z that was broken into, but that was in a different town (Manassas). Thats why I moved here to Centreville. I haven't had any trouble here and haven't really heard of other people having issues.

Still...yeah, its time to get an alarm. Tax refund!

 

Get A Big Dog.

 

Underneath on the side.
CAT BURGLER he is trying to steal your cat converters.
Look at the pipe to see if there are lines circles around it from a pipe cutter. Much faster and quieter than a hack or sawzall.

Do stuff a bit different for a while so they or he will have to look for it harder.

 

Im sorry to say but Centreville has gone down hill in recent years. I lived over there for more than 10 years and it's almost night and day in some pockets.

Regarding your truck, get an alarm installed immediately! Also try and vary your schedule for the next few weeks. Thieves that scout know your routine and plan crimes accordinly. Park in new spots with the tailgate in view and leave for work at different times. Good luck and be safe!

 

Well...you're right. I looked under the truck and the passenger side cat heat shield is gone. He was going after the cats.

Going to find a large set of mousetraps to set on top of the cats when I park, unless someone knows where I can get small game traps.

Tailgate is already clamped. Guess ill start parking elsewhere for now and wake up at odd hours for a few weeks. If he's going to be back, I want him.

 

Call the PD and make a theft/attempted theft report. Give them a full description of the guy and ask for more patrols in your area.

OH-MAN, good call on the CAT theft! It's a trend that pops up around here from time to time. Toyota trucks are a favorite.

 

To all you guys recommending car alarms: google the phrase "do car alarms really work?"

Here's a typical hit: http://www.transalt.org/files/newsroom/reports/caralarms/08ineffective.html

The only reason that installing an alarm on your car could be effective is if it's in your own driveway, YOU hear it, and YOU come out IMMEDIATELY - or similarly if you park in a place you can SEE and HEAR from your workplace so that if it goes off it draws your immediate response.

No one else in the world who hears your alarm is going to lift a finger.... unless it goes off repeatedly in which case they're more likely to report it as a nuisance. And the thief is just going to smash the window, pop the hood, and cut the wire - deactivating it in seconds. Assuming it goes off at all for a cat theft.

 

I am sure that robbers are smart enough to not break a window or something on an alarmed vehicle. Drawing attention is something they don't want to do, and most alarms now come with batteries now that if they cut the wires it still works(correct me if I am wrong). Also 2 way alarms tell you if your alarm is going off. My father and I caught a robber in action because of it.

 

Damn man, I hope you catch that POS!!!

Get the skid plate a member mentioned above that covers your cats!

 

id look into cameras around ur property and try and catch the son of a bitch.. i hate people that steal it's one of the lowest things you can do.. good luck man

 

No way!..Id sit outside somewhere kinda hidden, and wait for them to come back.

 

OK, so we've got the OP throwing down here for a two-way paging alarm with battery backup on its siren. Not a low end system, I'm guessing.

Second question remains: does an alarm go off for an attempted cat theft?

If you've got a proximity/motion detector under the car - well, in my neighborhood that thing would be set off four or five times a day by cats and squirrels.

 

Wire-up an electric fence module to electrify your CAT. Make sure it's not lethal to any animals or people, but enough to send a message. It should only be one part of your anti-theft strategy.

Remington may fulfill another part

 

if someones trying to steal a cat, there making motion..I'd assume a motion sensor would go off.

 

Here's a thought, would it be impossible to weld like a .25 or .5 round piece of steel from like the top of the cat to the frame or something? (kinda like on the rest of the exhaust pipes) That way even if they cut it they sure as he'll won't be able to get it down.

 

WTF dude? You got people stealin your stuff now? Let's do a camp out and wait for him to come back! You think he will come back now that he knows you've seen him once?