Stolen in 30 Seconds

Recently, my dad drove to a large metropolitan area to have medical tests and appointments. I decided to not go with him as I am not feeling well.

My dad parked his car in the hotel parking lot. He last saw the vehicle at 10:30 p.m. At 7:30 a.m. the next morning, the rear of the car was damaged and the tail lights were gone. We were devastated.

My dad went to his appointments. That night, he was able to file a police report. There is a hotel surveillance video which most likely shows the crime, but the hotel was not cooperative. They refused to release the film. The police also asked for the security footage. I am not sure if they were able to obtain it from hotel management.

Today, my dad took the vehicle in to the dealership to get an estimate of the repairs. It is just under $5,000. I was flabbergasted!

I went online and researched the topic of stealing tail lights. It seems this is a new trend which is becoming very popular. The tail lights can be stolen in less than 30 seconds. It takes a few more seconds to damage the rear of the car to gain access to the tail lights. In all, it takes less than one minute for the crime to be committed.

This is the third time our vehicle has been the victim of crime in just nine months. In November, someone smashed into the front of our car in a parking lot and drove away. There was security footage, but the business refused to release the video. There was $6,000 worth of damage.

In January, the vehicle was broken into and ransacked just minutes after my parents exited the vehicle to go 20 feet away inside a business. (Thankfully there was nothing inside the car except napkins, maps and vehicle registration information.) Ten minutes later, my parents discovered the crime scene. There was security footage, but unfortunately, a tree blocked the license plate of the thief. The entire incident was recorded on film.

About $12,000 worth of damage has been done to our vehicle, and no suspects have ever been apprehended in any of the crimes.