WESTLAKE, Ohio — Westlake Police are trying to put the brakes on stolen cars.
Car thefts have shifted into high gear in many cities across our area, including Westlake. The cars are being taken right out of driveways during the night. In the last month, five cars have been stolen from homes in Westlake. Police said the cars are unlocked, with keys and other valuables left inside.
Police said usually, a group of people drives into the city in a stolen car during the night and fans out into neighborhoods looking for unlocked cars with keys inside. When the thieves find one, they drive off in seconds.
Police aren’t just concerned about the cars, but what’s inside them.
“It’s very dangerous, “ said Captain Gerald Vogel, Westlake Police Department.
Vogel said cars had been stolen with guns, credit cards and purses left inside.
“Cars we’ve recovered taken from Westlake have been used in crimes in Cleveland. We know that, we’ve had Cleveland homicide detectives out here asking about the cars because they were involved in a crime in Cleveland,” explained Vogel.
In neighboring Rocky River, nine cars in three months were stolen in the same way over the summer. Police said cars were left unlocked with keys and valuables inside.
These are crimes of opportunity, according to police, who do recover most of the stolen cars eventually.
“We recover most of them within a couple of days or a week. Some are damaged, blown engines or cosmetic damage to the car. Others are not damaged but they’re often used in other crimes,” said Rocky River Police George Lichman.
Westlake police are paying extra attention to neighborhoods at night. Police are also urging residents to call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious. Police are urging all residents no matter where they live to lock their cars and take their valuables inside every night.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
