As temperatures fall, car thefts are picking up.
In just the first two weeks of this month, over 100 drivers lost their wheels in Minneapolis alone.
“I’ve left my car running a couple of times, especially when it was cold,” stated driver Justin Sorensen.
“I do it too,” stated driver Shiquiya Springfield.
In Roseville, it was easy to discover drivers who admitted to leaving their cars running and unattended so that they can be kept warm.
“I didn’t think anyone would want my car, it’s not the best, but it’s a car, so,” Sorensen stated.
Roseville Police state they’ve had over a dozen stolen automobiles.
“One of the things that really stood out is that the most of them that are being stolen were being stolen with the keys inside and several of them running,” Roseville Deputy Chief Erika Scheider stated.
Scheider states just this week two cars were stolen under 30 minutes of each other at mall parking lots.
“They were stolen from two different places, both malls within our city and people left their cars running, keys inside while they went inside shopping,” Scheider stated.
Scheider states the thefts are widespread throughout Roseville, with malls, gas stations and daycares being the biggest targets where cars are stolen.
This is a growing trend across the Twin Cities right now.
St. Paul Police has had 181 stolen vehicles in November and 40% of them were left unattended with the keys inside.
In Minneapolis, there have been more than 200 cars stolen in the last month.
“I do, but I try to make it really quick,” Springfield stated.
However, quick is just enough time to carry out the crime.
“Really, that’s all it takes for somebody to steal, it is just a couple of minutes,” Scheider stated.
If there is any silver lining to all of this, police stated in many of these cases, the stolen cars are ultimately recovered. Nonetheless, it’s not worth the risk.
