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Video shows pickup being stolen from Kitchener driveway

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Home security footage shot in Kitchener shows just how quickly thieves can make off with a vehicle.

The video, submitted by a viewer, depicts two men taking a white Dodge Ram from a driveway in Kitchener’s Doon South neighbourhood in the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 30.

In the footage, the suspects arrive in a dark car and park one house over from the victim. They then walk back to the truck and what sounds like a window being smashed can be heard. A short time later, they’re able to start the pickup and take off. The entire thing takes less than five minutes.

Peel regional police say the truck was found abandoned in Brampton two days later on Jan. 1. No arrests have been made, but the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

According to information previously released by police, Dodge Rams are among the most commonly targeted vehicles by thieves using reprogramming technology, although police could not confirm how the pickup was stolen in this case.

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.

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.

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