In case you didn’t already have some common sense…
Dodge Hellcats are so fun to drive, criminals will take yours for a spin without your permission. We’ve been covering this phenomena for a while now, but more and more normie journalists seem to be realizing something is going on. The latest example comes via WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, which in case you can’t figure it out is based in central Florida.
Watch the latest Motorious Podcast here.
This local newscast has been “red pilled” after doing an investigative report, uncovering that the parking garages at the Orlando International Airport might not be entirely secure. That’s especially true for Dodge Hellcats, be they of the Challenger or Charger persuasion. Now, Stellantis has tried to claim the propensity for criminals to target these high-powered muscle cars is overblown, while at the same time rolling out additional security measures for owners.
What they uncovered in their investigation was disturbing. In one week, possibly on the same day, 4 different vehicles were swiped from the supposedly secured garages. What wasn’t shocking to us was 2 of those cars were Dodge Charger Hellcats, one was a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, and the final one was a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Is it a complete coincidence that all 4 are from the same automaker, Stellantis?
Thieves really love getting their hands on anything with a Hellcat engine. That supercharged V8 with 707-horsepower is a lot of fun, so if they want to joyride they get plenty of thrills. On the black market these vehicles, either whole or parted, fetch a good amount because they’re in high demand. It’s the sad truth anyone who’s a Hellcat owner needs to understand.
Keep in mind people pay to park there, and if it’s anything like the airports where we’ve kept our crappy daily drivers, the parking fees aren’t exactly cheap. One would think there would be enough security to keep thefts to a minimum, but in this day and age where car theft is rampant that’s not the case. In fact, the investigative team was told there was zero video of the car break-ins, so that means no meaningful surveillance. Gee, we can’t possibly understand why thieves are going hunting at the airport parking.
The thing is car thieves love places where they know you’re going to park for hours if not days at a time. It gives them plenty of time to work on defeating your locks/alarm and to hack into your ignition to program a new key. This is why movie theaters, universities, malls, etc. are popular hunting grounds. If you have a cool, high-powered car it’s a better idea to take your beater to those places. Leaving a Hellcat unattended for hours at a time in such a place is probably not going to end well.
Evidence of the thefts at the airport in Orlando makes it seem like these aren’t experienced pros. There was broken glass on the ground, a sure sign you’re dealing with a rookie, but this could be how these guys are getting experience, working up to stealing people’s Hellcats outside their home at night, in their employer’s parking lot, or wherever else. Hopefully the police catch them and the courts don’t just thrown them back on the street with a slap on the wrist. In the meantime, Hellcat owners and anyone who has a cool car needs to take extra steps to secure their ride.
Check out the Orlando report for yourself in the included video.