MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say thieves are using high-tech equipment and even towing away vehicles instead of breaking into them.
Investigators said Cedric Penson, Jr. used a device that programs fobs to steal a 2013 Dodge Challenger. They say Penson was driving the stolen car when he was pulled over on May 29th along TN Highway 385.
A Tennessee trooper found several key fobs including one programmed to start the Challenger.
Some victims said their vehicles were locked and parked in front of their homes, but that didn’t stop thieves from taking them.
Memphis Police said also this month somebody used an SUV to tow away a car in Whitehaven. The owner of the vehicle that was taken from Horn Lake Road said she didn’t hear anything.
The stolen Chrysler 300 was caught on camera being pulled by the SUV, and was later recovered on Weaver Road.
A month earlier, three males with a pickup truck and trailer were caught on camera stealing a Jeep from a driveway in Frayser.
The owner of a stolen Infiniti didn’t want to be identified, but said police believe car thieves used some sort of device to steal her car outside her East Memphis home last Friday. The car was stripped of its parts.
“They said they probably had some transmitter of some sort or programmers they were getting from dealers or manufacturers to get into these cars,” the victim said.
In March, the woman said her Grand Prix was stolen from outside her home in Uptown and also stripped of everything. She said the car was locked and there were no signs of broken glass and she believes it was also towed away.
The victim who didn’t want to be identified said all of her keys to her car were inside her home and she didn’t see any signs of a break-in.
“Everybody kept asking me if I left the key in the car and they said likely it got towed away,” she said.
We contacted Memphis Police to find out what you can do to protect yourself but have not heard back from anyone.
If you have a car with a keyless start, you can use a signal-blocking pouch to prevent your key fob from being hacked.
If you know anything about the stolen vehicles Call Crime Stoppers at (901)-528-CASH.
