Cambridge, Ont. teen charged with stealing 10 vehicles
An 18-year-old man from Cambridge, Ont. has been charged with stealing 10 vehicles and trying to make off with three more.
Police say he was using reprogramming technology – which has replaced relay theft as the preferred method thieves use to take vehicles, according to officials.
The teen is believed to have been acting as part of an organized criminal group.
Police also released a video of the one of the thefts. According to investigators, the first one was reported on Dec. 19.
On Jan. 3, officers searched a home in the Preston Parkway Boulevard and Linden Drive in Cambridge and arrested the 18-year-old.
Over the course of the investigation, five of the stolen vehicles, worth a total of $400,000, were recovered.
Police also seized reprograming devices, blank keys, Canadian currency, a black sedan used in the offences, and personal property of the victims.
The accused has been charged with 10 counts of motor vehicle theft and three counts of attempted theft, plus one count of possession of an automobile master key.
Among the ten vehicles the accused is charged with stealing is a Dodge Ram that was taken from a Doon South driveway on Dec. 30, police confirmed. Home surveillance video submitted by a neighbour shows two people breaking into the vehicle before driving away with it. The pickup was found abandoned two days later in Brampton.
HOW DO REPROGRAMMING THEFTS WORK?
Thieves force entry into a vehicle, then use an electronic device to access diagnostics. From there, they can reprogram a blank key fob, start the vehicle and drive away.
"We are seeing a higher number of the reprogramming thefts along the [Highway] 401 corridor, so that Cambridge area, Doon Road area, and really it does come down to accessibility to the 401," WRPS Deputy Chief Jen Davis said at a new conference last month.
In some cases, the vehicles end up in shipping containers destined for resale by organized criminal networks overseas, police said.
HOW TO STOP REPROGRAMMING THEFTS
Police provided these tips to prevent reprogramming thefts:
- Park your vehicle inside a garage, or block your vehicle in with another vehicle.
- Purchase a device to block access to the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic port
- Use a steering wheel lock
- Equip your vehicle with an aftermarket GPS tracker. GPS systems that come standard with some vehicles are frequently disabled by suspects, rendering them ineffective.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. election results: Mail-in ballots favouring NDP as recounts begin in 2 ridings
Recounts began Sunday afternoon in two ridings where candidates were separated by fewer than 100 votes following the initial count in the B.C. election.
Another bumpy week ahead as Trudeau faces deadlines from Liberal MPs, Bloc
Another week, another raft of imminent challenges to Justin Trudeau's leadership of both the country and the Liberal Party.
Here's when you need to change your clock back
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
New polls show Sask. NDP leading over Sask. Party ahead of election day
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
17-year-old charged for driving 188 km/h on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Timothee Chalamet crashes his own lookalike contest after police shut down crowded event
Actor Timothee Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, a well-attended event that drew an order to disperse from police and at least one arrest.
He lost a finger and survived a kidnapping. Then, this climber took on a 9,000-foot 'death-trap'
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of – and captured by – a feature film.
How to make sure your used clothes go to the right place – and not to organized crime
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity – and it often is. But it’s become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.
Nova Scotia Calls General Election for Nov. 26
With a provincial election announcement expected Sunday, Nova Scotia’s political party leaders have announced events.