Bensalem car thieves caught on camera: Police warn of growing trend

Bensalem car thieves caught on camera: Police warn of growing trend

A Bensalem man had his Dodge Charger stolen out of his driveway while he slept, and the whole thing was caught on camera.

BENSALEM, Pa. - A Bensalem man had his car stolen out of his driveway while he slept, and the whole thing was caught on security cameras. Police say it's part of a growing trend of high-performance vehicle thefts.

Caught on camera

What we know:

Jorge Cervantes said his Dodge Charger was taken just before 5 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, from his driveway on Stratton Drive.

Cervantes and his family were sleeping inside when the security camera mounted to his garage caught a group of thieves running up, breaking in and pushing the Charger down and out of the driveway. The whole scene took about a minute.

‘They were professionals’

What they're saying:

"I didn't expect it," Cervantes said. "I was kind of impressed how fast they took it. It was like 60 seconds, it was boom, gone. They were professionals."

File Photo.

Cervantes said he thinks two men disabled the alarm then broke in through the back door. The crew was able to then put the car in neutral and push it right out of the driveway.

In addition to the car, Cervantes said he lost about $1,000 of electrician's tools that he had inside.

Why you should care:

Bensalem Police said this crime is part of a growing trend. Officials said high-performance vehicles are being taken, especially Dodge Chargers and Challengers, but also Honda CR-Vs, Accords and Civics.

Police said there are a few things you can do to help keep your car from getting stolen. They said thieves are using sophisticated methods like relay devices, to steal these cars. The relay devices amplify the signal from a key fob and capture it, police say, allowing thieves to get into the car without actually having the key.

To protect against this, officials suggest keeping the key fob away from doors and windows, and even storing them in RFID or Faraday pouches to block the signal completely.

Other theft-prevention tactics include steering wheel locks, tracking services and even after-market kill switches. 

Police also recommend parking in your garage whenever you can.