Latest news with #vehicle recovery
Motor 1
21 hours ago
- Motor 1
‘Extremely Unscientific Process:' Texas Woman's White Toyota 4Runner Gets Stolen. Then She Goes Looking for It
A Texas woman is chronicling the search for her stolen white Toyota 4Runner. And she's asking anyone with experience in recovering stolen vehicles for help. TikTok user Alyssa ( @alyssas_outfits_ ) was the victim of a car theft just over a week ago. She last saw her white Toyota 4Runner at the Hotel Indigo in Austin on the morning of July 22. After turning to Reddit for suggestions on where and how to recover stolen vehicles, she and two friends went on a day-long journey to track down her 4Runner . 'We formed a search committee to drive around all the spots that Reddit suggested we look,' she says in a post documenting their search. 'We were downtown, on the eastside, along Airport [Boulevard].' 'And, let me tell you, there are a lot of white 4Runners in Austin.' Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . As one of her friends drove, Alyssa clicked her keyfob at every white 4Runner they passed, but none of them were hers. 'An extremely unscientific process,' she admits. 'If anyone has any suggestions of where to look for a stolen car, my DMs are open.' 'Easy to Leave Cars There' In the comments section of the video, viewers did not hesitate to offer advice from personal experience with this type of situation. 'Apartment complexes, because it's easy to leave cars there,' suggested one person. Trending Now 'Can Anyone Explain?:' Man Pumps Gas at Shell Station. Then He Takes a Closer Look at Where His Fuel Is Coming From 'They Have About 70% Tread Life Left:' Man Buys Tires Off Facebook Marketplace. Then He Takes Them to Discount Tire 'It's probably across the border at this point,' said a second person. 'This exact same thing happened to my ex in 2013. We drove around Austin for two days, going to all the locations his iPad pinged off (it was in the truck). We ended up finding the truck in South Texas—just about to cross the border.' 'Vehicles nowadays have telematics,' said someone else, referring to GPS technology . 'Have the dealer and finance company activate yours.' Another person said, 'You need to check junkyards. They might strip your car and dump it at junkyards.' What Should You Do If Your Car Is Stolen? A Kiplinger article echoes some of the advice in the comments, including putting an AirTag in your vehicle and purchasing other anti-theft measures, such as steering wheel and pedal locks. The author also recommends making sure any big-ticket personal items you leave in your vehicle are covered under your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. If your car is stolen, obviously, you want to call the police, your local DMV, your insurance company, and your lender to let them all know about the theft. If your wallet was in the car, you're in for another series of phone calls to cancel everything. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles also notes that reporting the theft immediately is key because it protects you from liability if the vehicle is involved in an accident that harms other people after being stolen. A lot of people in the comments voiced frustration with the police's response to vehicle thefts. The Kiplinger article says that it's common for police to do the bare minimum with regard to recovering stolen vehicles. However, you have a better chance of success if you cooperate with officers and check back in regularly for updates. Motor1 reached out to Alyssa via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll be sure to update this if she responds. More From Motor1 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road: The Good and the Bad The Kia Tasman Pickup Might Spawn a Toyota 4Runner SUV Rival Toyota's New Blue Paint Is Awesome, But It's Only for a Few Models Boxy Is Back: Why SUVs Are More Square Than Ever Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Parking warning at beach after vehicles submerged
People are being urged to park carefully and "treat the sea and coastline with respect" after three vehicles were caught out by the tide just days apart at the same beach. A campervan left at Traeth y Greigddu, also known as Black Rock Sands, near Porthmadog was submerged on Friday 13 June, while another was rescued just in time on Sunday 8 June. A VW Beetle was also swamped by the tide on Saturday 14 June. While parking is allowed at the beach, Cyngor Gwynedd has urged beachgoers to check tide times and avoid parking below the high tide line, warning that stuck vehicles may incur recovery costs. Beach parking warning after two vehicles submerged Stuck-in-mud driver 'ignored' beach warning signs More than 100 people cut off by tide on beach Drivers pay £8 to park their cars at Traeth y Greigddu and £16 for caravans, but some still venture into restricted soft sand areas despite clear warnings. Kevin Gibson, who lives in Morfa Bychan and walks the beach daily with his dogs, said he had seen about six vehicles stuck in the sand so far this year. He believes many tourists underestimate how fast the tide moves and ignore the council's warning signs. While recovery companies usually retrieve the stranded vehicles the following day, locals sometimes attempt to help, Mr Gibson added. On the evening of Saturday 14 June he received a call from a woman whose VW Beetle was stuck, but as he no longer does vehicle recoveries he advised her to contact the council using the details on the beach entrance signs. "She said she was staying at a local campsite and didn't really know the area," he said. "This is the third time in a week here. "I do feel sorry for them - these are often expensive vehicles, and I'm not sure what the situation is with insurance in these cases," he added. Dillon Green, from Liverpool, has had a caravan near Morfa Bychan beach for five years. He also runs a recovery company and said he often received calls from stressed drivers who have spotted his truck and contact details when he visits his caravan each weekend. Mr Green said: "I've been going there for five years in a recovery truck and never got stuck myself so I don't understand how people do it. "I have definitely seen a rise in the amount of cars getting stuck. "It's almost every weekend." Mr Green said even if people were stuck at the top of the beach it is usually not a problem, but down at the bottom the tide comes in fast and can trap vehicles quickly. "People often panic and make it worse by accelerating, which just digs the wheels in deeper," he added. Most of the time Mr Green said he could pull them out with the winch, but if the tide gets them, the car is "usually ruined". A spokesperson for Cyngor Gwynedd, which manages the beach, said while the council welcomed everyone to its "beautiful" beaches and coastal areas, it wants "everyone to enjoy themselves safely". Visitors are urged to check the weather forecast, tide times, and to "treat the sea and coastline with respect". Motorists should avoid parking below the high tide line and remain alert to changing conditions, the council added. Despite "multiple signs" warning of potential dangers and vehicle restrictions, the local authority said some drivers still become stuck in soft sand or rising tides, often after ignoring advice. The spokesperson said: "Where possible, during staffed hours, council officers will endeavour to recover any vehicles that get into such difficulties. "However, in some cases it may be necessary to seek assistance from a third-party contractor, for which the driver or owner of the vehicle would be responsible for the associated costs. "Beach wardens will be on duty daily from 27 June to 6 September, and the beach barrier will close at 8pm each evening to "prevent vehicles gaining access to the beach."
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
'Stealing' your OWN car: How Brits can use trackers and even hire private security to get their vehicles back from thieves instead of waiting for overstretched police to act
Having a car stolen can be a nightmare ordeal for any driver, prompting months of misery and legal headaches. It's a woe thousands have to endure annually, with one car snatched by thieves every nine minutes across the UK last year - with a total of 61,343 vehicles reported stolen. In London, one of the hardest hit areas plagued by carjackers, the blight has become so extreme it's led to claims car theft has been virtually 'decriminalised', with nine out of 10 thefts reported to the Metropolitan Police going unsolved. Gangs of thieves are seemingly acting with impunity across the capital, brazenly snatching luxury motors or rare vehicles from driveways, garages and off the street. Victims, exasperated by the crimewave, now appear to be taking the law into their own hands by hunting down and 'stealing back' their pinched motors. Increasingly, Britons are turning to private companies and installing tracking devices on the cherished cars, which they then use to find their vehicles after they're stolen. The devices ranging from high-end, specialist trackers that emit a radio frequency, to more basic pieces of kit like Apple AirTags, which uses Bluetooth to signal where it is. Now MailOnline looks at all the ways people are recovering their stolen vehicles - and what people should do if they fall victim to car thieves... How tracking devices work The rise of commercial tracking devices has made it easier than ever before for victims to find out where their stolen belonging are. Simple devices like Apple AirTags, which look like tiny buttons, are increasingly being used by vehicle owners. AirTags work by emitting a Bluetooth signal, which nearby Apple devices in the brand's 'Find My network' can detect. The trackers anonymously then 'ping' the AirTag's location to iCloud allowing owners to see, in real-time, where their missing property is. The devices have been used by some people to find their stolen cars - with extraordinary results. Last month a father-of-three whose Range Rover was stolen from his driveway revealed how he was 'gob-smacked' to see one of the trackers in his car placing it 5,000 miles away in Tanzania months after it was stolen. James Munday, 44, said he had expected never to see the £13,000 2014 Range Rover Vogue again after thieves used an electronic 'key' to open it outside his house in South Woodham Ferrers, near Chelmsford, Essex last November. It wasn't until two months later in February that James idly checked the tag on his computer and to his astonishment, saw that it had somehow reactivated. 'I was absolutely gob-smacked, just staring at the screen in disbelief,' said James, who operates boats in the River Crouch near his home. 'I could see in the intervening couple of months, the car had gone through the Suez Canal, down the Red Sea and into the Indian Ocean, crossing the Equator and ending up at the docks in [Tanzanian capital] Dar-Es-Salam. 'I called my wife Claire and said "you remember when you climbed Mount Kilimanjaro? Well, my car's pretty much ended up there".' Mia Forbes Pirie and Mark Simpson were more fortunate, and managed to recover their stolen Jaguar E-Pace with their help of their AirTags. The couple discovered their £46,000 motor had been snatched from near their west London home in Brook Green on Wednesday morning. The pair tracked the vehicle to a quiet back street about four miles away, with its interior and carpets ripped apart by thieves who had attempted to access its wiring. In a post to LinkedIn, Ms Forbes Pirie admitted it was 'kind of fun' stealing back the car but questioned 'why we should have had to do that'. She added: 'The police are under-resourced and it's a shame. But if there aren't any consequences to people stealing cars or a lot of the other crimes where there aren't any consequences, then I don't really see what the deterrent is to stop people from doing it more.' However, other high-end trackers emit a radio signal that is picked up by receivers - which are often installed in police cruisers and can alert officers to the location of a nearby stolen car. What if you're car's stolen without a tracker in? This is when it can become a real headache for motorists. Organised crime gangs often steal high-end, luxury cars to order before stashing them in a street on false number plates for several days. The tactic, known by crooks as 'soaking', is to see if the cars have hidden trackers inside. If the cars aren't recovered within a couple of days, the motors are then either taken to a 'chop shop' and ripped apart or smuggled into shipping containers and sent abroad. For victims, the advice is to call 101 and give a description of the vehicle - its registration number, make and model and colour - in the hope officers can find it. However, recent figures have laid bare the grim prospect of recovering a stolen vehicle in London. Data, compiled by the Liberal Democrats earlier this year, revealed The Met failed to solve nine out of 10 cases of auto theft in the capital. Only 0.9 per cent of investigations into car theft resulted in a charge against the perpetrator - the lowest figure of any regional police force in England, according to The Telegraph. Between April and June 2024, the Met ended 7,996 out of 8,861 car theft investigations (90.24 per cent) without identifying a suspect - an increase from 88.7 per cent for the previous three months and the highest rate in two years. Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove, called the figures 'staggering' and said that while the statistics applied to the period when the Conservatives were in power, Labour had not done enough to rectify the problem since coming to power. 'These shocking figures will leave people wondering if car theft has been decriminalised in this country,' Ms Smart. 'Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve, with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved, and thieves getting away scot free.' Stolen cars that are recovered, are normally taken to a secure police impound where they are kept until the rightful owners can collect them. The firms who will help 'steal' your car back for you There are companies out there who specialise in recovering stolen vehicles for victims. Among them is Tracker. The firm, which has been operating for more than 30 years, uses sophisticated VHF radios hidden in cars to help locate them. The tech is immune to GPS jamming kits used by sophisticated car crime crooks, which can block satellite signals, effectively hiding the vehicle. The tracking devices are reportedly visible even when cars are parked underground, in shipping containers or overseas in Europe. They can also be seen by police forces, who can then recover them. So far the company has boasted of recovering almost 29,700 with the tech leading to more than 3,150 arrests. Its latest set of figures show that in April, 150 vehicles were recovered - including a £28,000 Lexus that had been hidden in a shipping container at Felixstowe Port. And a £22,000 Toyota Rav4, fitted with the kit, was reportedly found in a Salford 'chop shop' garage on false plates just five hours after being stolen. All in all, a staggering £3.36m of vehicles were recovered in April alone. Glen Campbell, director of Preston Caravans and Motorhomes, had one of his Tracker-fitted vehicles stolen. 'It was a huge relief when the caravan was found and back at the dealership within five hours. If it wasn't for the Tracker unit, that caravan could have been lost for good,' he claimed in a testimonial on the tracking company's website. What the law says you're allowed to do Police and authorities insist they should be the first port of call for anyone who has been a victim of crime. Experts say those seeking to go out and hunt for their missing motors, for instance, could be putting themselves at risk. However, there is nothing in the law technically stopping someone from searching for their stolen goods. But should someone use force and assault a person, then they could be at risk of facing a criminal charge. What do the experts have to say? Leading vehicle crime experts have insisted police are doing all they can to tackle the gangs. However, they last night warned that sophisticated organised gangs of crooks were likely behind many of the thefts. Steve Whittaker works at vehicle recovery firm Tracker as the company's police liaison manager and said the scale of the thefts was alarming. 'Vehicle crime has moved on from the youths who would steal a car from the estate and then dump it... it's organised crime at an industrial level,' he warned. 'Lots of vehicles are taken to chop shops or hidden in containers and being shipped abroad.' Former police officer Mr Whittaker insisted it was incredibly rare for victims of crime to have to recover their own vehicles without police support. 'This is very few and far between, it's extremely rare,' he added. 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but at Tracker we have a 95 per cent recovery rate. 'I'm not saying police don't send them them out. But police know the risks of that. You could be sending someone to the deepest darkest south London at the middle of the night. There's all sorts of risks with that. 'What members of the public have to be aware of is that there are a lot of competing demands facing the police. 'If there are 20 phone calls about a firearms incident, collecting your own car will be bottom of the list.' Many vehicles are snatched and shipped out of the country before the owners even wake up, with Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East common final destinations. Since the war in Ukraine, Russia has also been flooded with Western cars as the country battles with strict sanctions. Mike Briggs, an insurance industry veteran who is now UK executive director of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI), said: 'The organised crime gangs are pushing ahead here in the UK. Not just here in the UK, it's now a global phenomena. 'Everything is being shipped wherever money can be made or the vehicles can be exchanged for drugs, weapons or used in human trafficking and things of that nature. 'It's really increased and the more we get into this century, the bigger the change to organised crime and the more developed they're becoming.'
