Car dealers hit with rash of thefts that are not 'pink panther stealth'

Employees at some car dealerships are calling a rash of car thefts in southwestern Ontario "bigger" than they've ever see it before, with one lot missing several luxury vehicles and 40 sets of keys.  

Police have confirmed a rise in car thefts between Toronto and London, with the Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario warning owners to take precautions. 

Titanium Auto Sales in London was hit two nights in a row starting Sunday April 26, with thieves stealing an Audi, a Mercedes and a Range Rover.

Employee Mahmoud Abdulrazak said the thieves also stole 4 dozen sets of keys when they smashed the office window.

"They came in, they took as many keys as possible. They left the dealership for about four to five minutes, and then they came back in. [They] went directly to the cars they wanted," Abdulrazak said, who watched it unfold later on security cameras.

With dozens of keys missing, his fear that the thieves would come back was confirmed the following night.

Security footage showed the same getaway truck that delivered the thieves the first night, pull up to the lot and drop off two individuals.

"They walked to the lot and unlocked two cars. They thought those vehicles were accessible but they were not. They were blocked by other vehicles," Titanium's sales manager Moe Razak said. 

Casing lots during the day

Jeff McHardy, the director of sales at London's Oxford Dodge, said they lost seven vehicles a few weeks ago.

"Our lot is secured. We do have evening security. But still they're certainly coming after us in a big way. Bigger than we've ever seen."

McHardy suspects some of the thieves will visit a dealership during the day, check out the inventory and then return after hours.

Vehicle thefts have been reported at other dealerships from London to the Greater Toronto Area and have caught the attention of the Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario.

"Their technique is not exactly 'pink panther' stealth, it's more like smash and grab. The bad guys often just bust a window and try to find keys to make off with the choicest vehicle they can manage," the association said Monday in a statement sent to members. 

It has advised owners to remove all vehicle keys from the premises after hours and store them at off-site locations.

Other dealerships are parking vehicles around the perimeter, including at Titanium Auto where the owners are convinced the thieves will be back. 

"They already tried … twice and they're going to come back eventually."