A warning for owners of a popular minivan: mid-2000’s Dodge or Chrysler minivans could be a target for criminals.
That model has been the weapon of choice for thieves attempting to break into stores around the Cleveland area in recent months, all in hopes of stealing the ATM.
The latest happened at the Dairy Mart at West 117th Street and Headley Avenue in Cleveland early Monday morning.
Curtis Grismore, an automotive technician at Cleveland’s Safeway Tire said pre-2007 models are easier to steal than newer models.
“The newer vehicle is a lot harder to break into and be stolen,” Grismore said. “Nowadays, most vehicle have chips in their key, and if it doesn’t sense that chip being in the ignition, it won’t allow the vehicle to start.”
Data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau showed the 2003 Dodge Caravan was Ohio’s most stolen vehicle in 2014.
A Chrysler spokesman said the models in question are two generations old, adding the NICB data shows the Caravan is absent from 34 other states lists of most-targeted vehicles.
The 2003 model was also a best-seller that year, meaning there’s more of them on the road.
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