Salt Lake City Seeing Rash Of Car Thefts, 51 In 2 Weeks
May 1, 2019, 6:19 PM | Updated: May 2, 2019, 8:01 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The cold mornings that are continuing well into spring are linked to a rash of car thefts across Salt Lake City.
In fact police say they’ve had 51 cars stolen in just 14 days, 22 of those because of cars with keys left inside.
“That’s a lot. One and a half cars a day,” said Detective Jess Perea with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Perea said the problem is much like what they usually see in November or December – people wanting to warm up their cars before work. They leave them running and then it becomes an open target for thieves.
“Getting ready, coffee, breakfast—whatever their routine is and then coming back outside to a stolen car no longer in their driveway or parking spot,” said Perea.
Police say it’s not just happening in one area of town but many areas and that’s what’s making it difficult to try and track down some of the suspects.
SLCPD has had over 22 #stolen vehicles in last 2 weeks where keys were left in the car. #dontgiveyourcaraway. Please lock your vehicle and don’t leave keys in or near the vehicle. #SeeSomethingSaySomething pic.twitter.com/b0RvLntTls
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) May 1, 2019
“We’d like to catch who’s doing this, but we don’t have any suspects at this time. The [car thefts] are happening throughout the city so we can’t link it to just one person in this neighborhood,” said Perea.
Erin Johnson lives in one of the areas of town where a car was stolen.
She tells KSL TV’s Dan Rascon that she’s had six break-ins with two of her cars in just two years. The latest one happening two weeks ago.
She also said one of the cars was also stolen.
“It took them a minute and a half to get the car open and drive away,” said Johnson. “You feel so violated when you come out and someone has being going through your things.”
Police are asking anyone with home surveillance video of one of the crimes to come forward so they can try and track down some suspects.
