One week ago, Lissette Gonzalez was walking her dog in the morning only to discover she had been robbed. The wheels of her year old orange Toyota Tacoma were stolen.
“This is where my truck was at, and it was sitting on all four of those blocks,” Gonzalez said. “I was pissed and frustrated and said right away like, 'How is this happening?'"
In August 2022, Gonzalez's truck was stolen while she and her partner unloaded it in front of their apartment. Her pug Nova was inside the vehicle.
The pickup was found parked in the middle of Palm Avenue in Chula Vista. Nova was found in a homeowner’s backyard a couple days later.
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“I hope these thieves get caught. I am frustrated. My truck was stolen. You were here a year ago. It's unbelievable what’s happening in this world today," Gonzalez said.
While it appears to most victims that the suspected thieves have avoided getting caught because they're working in surface lots without cameras or security gates, some of them have been detected on doorbell videos and other smart cameras.
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This wheel heist was also captured on a neighbor’s security camera. The video shows two people in dark hoodies working their way around the truck and occasionally ducking down to remove each of the tires. Minutes later, the headlights of a car are seen, which stops long enough for the alleged thieves to load the wheels.
On Complex Drive in Kearny Mesa on Feb. 20, a business owner, who wished not to be identified, recorded another theft on a Ring camera.
In the video, the person lifts the van with a compression pillow device and uses an impact wrench to loosen the lug nuts.
The video also shows someone driving right by, but the alleged wheel thief doesn’t a miss a step. Under the concrete blocks went and off go the tires.
Start to finish, it took just five minutes. The person got in the truck and then sped away.
San Diego police say they are fielding an increase in tire theft complaints, but the problem seems to be countywide. NBC 7 has tracked thefts in Oceanside, San Marcos and other North County communities.
It appears the thieves are targeting Toyota model vehicles for the Toyota Racing Development rims, which are not the most expensive but popular.
“I am also scared that they might do it with my new wheels, so I had to get locks, but a thief can get into anything, and it’s sad,“ Gonzalez said.
Earlier this week, Lt. David Bautista with the San Diego Police Department told NBC 7 they are working with other law enforcement agencies throughout the county to solve these crimes. Detectives are currently investigating 25 cases that have been reported since January, SDPD said.
