Beware!!!

I know that you will find this hard to believe, because as I write this I too still can barely believe that it happened. Yesterday shortly before 1:25 pm our car was stolen from our street. A flatbed towtruck came and took it. We were not at home and yes, a few neighbors saw it happen, but didn't think much of it because it looked like an normal tow. However the thiefs came back shortly after 3:00 and took another neighbors car as well. Yes, I know you are thinking "WHAT". We too can not believe that it happened. Neither of us have any reason to have our cars towed. ie: both are paid for, no liens, so forth. So if anyone happened to see a flatbed tow truck driving down Demott towards Safeway then exit onto the Greenway headed towards Leesburg around 1:25pm for the first time and then 3:09 for the second time and you can be of any help please let us know. Our street is in shock to say the least. So beware and question anything.....even if it looks normal!!!

 

That is unbelievable! [:0]

Did nobody see the name on the tow truck or the color or anything? What did the police say? Have they seen this happen before? It doesn’t sound like a one time (or two time) thing, it sounds almost like a business. My cousin lives in Queens and they have a similar problem there, unlicensed tow trucks will tow a car to a couple blocks away, and then raid it for parts, in broad daylight. That is just plain bizarre, I hope they catch these guys soon!

 

OMG! Where are we with the Neighborhood watch? It seems the criminal element has already found our peaceful part of the world and has decided to pick it like a ripe peach. What street was this? They'll probably come back and we need to up our alert level.

How do you know the truck went west? I'll keep an eye out. Do you have a better description of the truck (color, etc)?

 

The neighbors that saw the tow truck said that it was a flatbed tow truck red in color with what they think was yellow writing on the side but not sure of the name. Once again, the neighbors were not realizing that a crime was taking place so they didn't really study the truck. As far as the time and direction it was headed we know that by our smarttags. Both smarttags went through the Clairborne exit headed towards Leesburg.....mine went through at 1:25 and my neighbors went through at 3:09. The nerve of the guy to take mine and then come back for another. Still so hard to believe!!!! So once again, please take notice of everything. I don't want anyone else to have this happen to them!!!!!

Oh, yes the street is Frame Square right off of Demott/Waxpool.

 

bkkasmom - Just wondering what the police said about this? I take the Loudoun commuter bus and at least twice now, there have been stripped cars in the parking lot. There definitely needs to be more policemen in the neighborhood. Especially since Broadlands is getting more exposure with the possibility of incoming hospital being moved from Alexandria.

 

What street were the cars on?

There was a thread last year about hiring police presence to patrol Broadlands. I think its time to ressurect this idea.

Here's a thought. If the truck used the Greenway it had to either use a smart tag or pay credit. The transaction is in their database either way around the same time as when your tag cleared it. The cops should be able to track this down.

 

Not much from the police. An officer took our reports and has passed it on to another "department" who is to be getting back to us today. We asked if this type of crime was new to Broadlands and he said yes.

 

Homer, thanks for the tip!! They are looking into the smartag connection. It happened on Frame Square.

 

What kind of cars were taken? Just curious if the criminals are targeting a specific type of vehicle or if it's completely random...

 

Ours was a Ford Explorer and our neighbors was a VW something.

 

Good idea, Homer. Unless they used 2 forms of payment registered to different names, it should be pretty easy to determine if the same person went through the same toll at 1:25 AND 3:09. Of course, if the theives got through the toll by using the smartrip transponders of the stolen cars, we are out of luck.

If it were a murder investigation, I think they would certainly track this down. I'd be pleasantly surprised if the police looked into this for a simple auto theft, though. Let's hope I'm wrong!

 

We need more than a neighborhood watch. Sounds like the Sheriff's department has their hands full.

Following from: www.leesburg2day.com

Ashburn Home Robbed In Daylight


Jul 13, 2004 -- Two men, one possibly armed, attempted to rob a home on Hyde Park Drive in Ashburn Sunday afternoon.
Loudoun Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said sheriff’s investigators are still searching for the men. Troxell said the attempted robbery occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m.

A 62-year-old man answered his door and the two suspects walked inside the house. One brandished a firearm, Troxell said.

“One of the suspects searched a portion of the home before both men fled the house. Nothing was taken during the incident,” Troxell said.

One suspect is described as: a black male with dreadlocks.

The second suspect is described as: a white male with light colored hair and wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777 0475.

 

For once I agree with you! There's an old thread on this. The county claims to not be able to afford more police. Who do we have to harrass to get a police station in Ashburn and more police? Snow, York?

 

Homer, can I call you??

 

It was a 93 VW Corrado. If you're interested, here is a link to the thread on a VW owners forum I visit with the other guy's story:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1491281

It doesn't make much sense that they'd risk coming back to the exact same street for another car. Looks like they would have went somewhere else just in case someone saw them the first time. It sounds a lot like repo men...but as stated, it was all paid off and there were no leins. It just doesn't add up...

 

I'm at work. Click my name and send me an email.

 

No, this is criminal activity. It's been happening in the lots of the Loudoun Commuter bus of of Ox. People leave the car overnight and next morning its on blocks.

 

I agree, I'm talking about hitting the exact same street less than two hours after the first. Either they're incredibly stupid or incredibly ballsy.

 

bkkasmom,

My wife and I talked to you yesterday when the police were there... Did they suggest any way to prevent this like using the emergency brake, etc? Did your car have an alarm? I wonder how long it takes them to find the cars usually. Unfortunately, this doesn't sound like the type of people that would just leave the car somewhere intact after a joyride... I hope they don't strip it, etc.

I wish I had a webcam set up in my window to monitor the street. It's a shame it has come to this... we've been having alot of crime in our area lately... sucks.

Also you might want to think if you had any personal info in the car such as receipts w/ credit card numbers, etc, that they could use as well... we know someone that that happened to.

Good luck in finding the bastids!

 

I've thought about doing that. There is cheap software out there that will only record when the web cam detects movement.