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High-tech thieves are now targeting push-start cars hacking into key fobs leaving many car owners in New Orleans without a vehicle.
This is how the crime works: first the thief waves a relay box at the victim's house, and boosts the car key signal in the house to another device, which is held by the second thief standing by the car. Then, the car detects the key and unlocks the door. The thief can jump into the car, press the starter button, and is able to drive away.
It can happen in just a total of two minutes. One uptown family says they believe it happened to them.
"I don't want to say that's life, but it's a hard reality for living in New Orleans,” said Bryce Crier. “You're not safe anywhere.”
Crier was excited his son was home from LSU, but unfortunately, this homecoming wasn’t the best graduation surprise.
“I said 'hey your car is missing,'” said Crier. “He said 'dad stop joking,' I said 'no son, your car isn’t here.'”
In the neighbor's surveillance video you can see the thieves back up to the house and leave with the car.
“It took less than two minutes for them to scan it with a scanner and hop in the car and drive it off, and I was just shocked,” said Crier.
“As technology advances with anti-thefts systems, so do the technology the criminals have access to,” said PJ Breaux with Pop-A-Lock New Orleans.
Normally, the car wouldn’t work down the road without a key, but Breaux says the technology tricks the car.
“The machine that they’re using is actually cloning the signal from the key, so when it’s in the car, the car is actually thinking that it is the right key,” said Breaux.
Stolen cars are nothing new for New Orleans, but we are seeing more already this year with almost 1.900 cars stolen. Last year at this time, it was a little over 1,800. Carjackings are also up this year as well to 190, leaving the Crier family thankful even though their son is now without a car.
“My wife and I can get another car,” said Crier. “We can't get another son. I'm glad carjacking wasn't a problem. That's the only blessing, but other than that we will be all. I'm just fed up with the crime.”
There are some ways to help to prevent this.
If your car is stolen police also recommend you report it immediately to help increase the chances of it being successfully recovered.
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