July 14, 2023
Do you plan to take your car in for service soon? Be aware that over the last several weeks car thieves have targeted dealerships in the Madison area and are stealing new vehicles as well as private vehicles left behind by owners to be serviced.
We’ve talked to police and detectives who say some of the most recent incidents have occurred at dealerships on Fish Hatchery Road, Rimrock Road and High Crossing Boulevard.
In some cases thieves are arriving at dealerships in stolen autos with the intent of stealing additional autos. They are currently favoring higher-end new cars like BMWs, Jaguars and Audis.
Suspects have smashed vehicle windows, and in at least one incident they broke into the lock box that stores the keys/fobs for all vehicles being serviced.
Police are investigating these incidents and some arrests have been made. However a vehicle was stolen from a dealership on the west side of Madison as recently as Wednesday (7/12). In that incident, however, someone was impersonating an inspector.
If you need to drop your vehicle off for service, make it clear to the dealership that you do not want your keys/fob stored in your vehicle at any time whether it’s parked inside the service garage or outside in the lot.
And it’s much safer to turn your vehicle over to the dealership for service in person than leaving your keys/fob behind in an envelope for the after-hours key drop box.
Thieves also continue to steal vehicles from homes, so be sure to practice a 9pm Routine to check that before turning in each night your garage door, vehicle(s) and home are locked up.
This incident happened on Tuesday (7/11) on Madison’s east side:
Caller reported numerous subjects inside their neighbor’s garage. The caller shouted at the subjects who fled in a vehicle. A few minutes later a vehicle was reported stolen from the same area. Attempt to locate aired. The vehicle was listed as stolen in the appropriate databases. *At 10:04 p.m. officers responded to a report of a strong armed robbery, involving the stolen vehicle.
And this incident happened on Wednesday (7/12) on Madison’s west side:
A homeowner woke up to find their garage door open and two vehicles missing/stolen. Personal items also missing/stolen. Attempt to locate aired. One vehicle was located/recovered. The other vehicle was listed as stolen in the appropriate database.