CLEVELAND — When you have a flight, you’ve got options—you can get dropped off, grab an Uber, or park in one of the many garages at the airport. When you park, you expect your car to be safe. But at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, car thefts are becoming a growing concern.
Michael Lopez was heading out on a work trip—something he’s done many times before.
“I drove up to the Cleveland airport and parked in the parking garage, you know, one of the garages that are connected right there to the terminal,” said Lopez.
He was gone for a few days, but when Lopez got back, his Dodge Challenger was nowhere to be found.
“I got back Thursday, went into the parking garage to where I thought I had left my car and unfortunately, it wasn't there,” said Lopez.
Lopez flagged down a parking attendant, searched the garage, and eventually had his plate checked in the system. That’s when he found out—his car had been stolen.
“So the car had left around 8 p.m. the day before, Wednesday. They don't have, my understanding is there's no live camera footage in the garage, like a security camera, but they have cameras that take still photos of the parking attendant area where the car leaves and it has to go out and pay the parking and it has a license plate technology to it,” said Lopez.
Dustin Marvin also had his truck stolen from the same garage. He flew out Wednesday morning, and by the time he returned Friday, his 2022 Ram TRX was gone.
“It really hit home once I pulled up my maps and my car is still paired with Siri, so it told me my last location of the vehicle was at a certain location outside of Parma,” said Marvin.
News 5 reached out to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. They acknowledged the increase in thefts at airport parking facilities nationwide and provided the following statement:
“We understand that recent incidents nationwide in airport parking facilities is unsettling and disruptive for travelers. We want our guests to feel confident and secure when they travel, so we continue to enforce security throughout the airport campus and facilities, in addition to our parking operator SP+ in the various public parking facilities. Security patrols are made both in vehicles and on foot within the parking areas as well as multiple inspections of the garage stairwells throughout the day (including overnight periods). There are security cameras in the garage, however we are currently in the process of adding additional security cameras as an increased security measure.”
“I asked them if there was anything they could help to do. Unfortunately, they kind of pointed to the sign on the wall that says 'Park at your own risk' you know, they're not responsible for damages and things like that,” said Lopez.
“I mean, for what airports are, I think it's wild that people can come and go on the property and, you know, it's just, it's a free for all. So I think that's a little special,” said Marvin.
Both men filed police reports and are still waiting for updates. Going forward, they say they’ll think twice before parking at the airport.
“Yeah, as I look back, maybe, you know, getting dropped off or I could have Ubered or something like that, but just more the GPS tracking ability, make sure you have something in your car,” said Lopez.
“I think I was just in shock, you know, it's just one of those things where, I don't understand, but then again, if somebody wants it bad enough, they're going to take it," said Marvin.
According to Cleveland Police’s crime dashboard, 23 stolen cars have been reported at Cleveland Hopkins since the start of the year. News 5 reached out to Cleveland Police for more information on the break-ins and is still waiting to hear back.
Marvin and Lopez recommend keeping a tracking device in your car, because you never know who might take it.
