CLEVELAND — At the airport, you can keep your shoes on during security, but you may want to keep an eye on your car, as it could be stolen.
Nationwide, car thefts have become a growing problem at local airports, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is no exception.
We first brought you this story in June, when two men returned from a trip only to find their cars missing. Now, it has become a recurring problem.
RELATED: How many cars have been stolen from Cleveland Hopkins Airport this year?
For the past two decades, Scott Pohlkamp has followed the same routine when flying: park at the airport before a flight. The morning of July 1 was no different.
"I flew to Boston for [a] business trip, left my car in [the] lot, which is right next to the terminal," said Pohlkamp.
Like many, Pohlkamp headed to the airport, parked, then took the keys, locked his car and caught his flight. However, when he came back, the car was gone.
"Well, at first I thought possibly I'd lost my mind, so I walked through the parking lot a few times, a couple of different lots, and then I realized it definitely wasn't there," said Pohlkamp.
The stolen vehicle was a 2023 Dodge Durango.
"It was white with a red racing stripe, had a really nice engine — it's a nice car," said Pohlkamp.
Pohlkamp's Durango wasn't the first one that was stolen. In early June, we spoke to Michael Lopez, whose Dodge Challenger also went missing. And Dustin Marvin — his 2022 Ram TRX was stolen as well.
Different cars. Same story. All were stolen from Cleveland Hopkins airport parking lots — and none had keys left inside.
"I think it's a very professional crew. They probably have a bird dog, somebody maybe, that works around there, that gives them a heads up," said Pohlkamp.
We examined the frequency of this occurrence at Cleveland Hopkins, utilizing data from the Cleveland Police crime dashboard. In the past year, 651 crimes were reported in the Hopkins neighborhood. Of those, 72 were motor vehicle thefts, and 24 were car break-ins.
"I think the airport should ... inform people that there are thieves that are doing this," said Pohlkamp.
We reached out to Cleveland Hopkins Airport about the recurring incidents.
They reiterated their June statement, which reads in part:
"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."
As for Cleveland Police, they are still reviewing our request for police reports. None of the three men has heard anything about the recovery of their stolen vehicles.
"I'm very frustrated, because I've got a strong feeling. It's, it's still out there," said Pohlkamp.
Pohlkamp says he'll never park at the airport again. He recommends that travelers avoid leaving anything valuable in their vehicles and consider using a tracking device.
"I think most importantly, it not only happens at Hopkins, it happens at other airports. So if you're going to go to the airport, just make sure that you're prepared. You have your car prepared so that you can track it," said Pohlkamp.
