Honestly, these guys are slower than most…
You’ve probably heard about how Dodge muscle car thefts are rampant, something Stellantis has contested but at the same time is addressing with the never-ending security update. To provide a recent example, we’ve included surveillance video from Chicago where two guys who seem to be fairly unskilled and inexperienced break into a Dodge Challenger Hellcat and drive it away in 8 minutes.
Find out just what exactly Dodge is doing about all these thefts here.
The video was taken in a parking lot in Chicago, a place where crimes like car theft have spiraled out of control recently. At the beginning of the footage, a white Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls into the parking lot and backs into the spot next to the Hellcat. Interestingly, another person in an orange Dodge Challenger pulls into the parking lot behind them, then backs into a spot almost directly across from them.
We’re guessing the second car is some sort of lookout. The two guys in the Jeep also split their roles, one acting as a lookout while the other works to boost the Hellcat. The headlights on the orange Challenger stay on the entire time.
During the lengthy process to get inside the Mopar and start the engine, someone in an Audi crossover pulls into the parking lot, backing into a spot. The lookout guy makes like he’s doing something around the Jeep while his buddy is inside the Hellcat, likely programming a new key. The ruse seems to work, although at one point the lookout gets out of the Grand Cherokee and promptly jumps back in, apparently spooked by something.
What’s really interesting is as the Hellcat roars to life, not only does the Jeep pull away, so does the Audi, clearly indicating that wasn’t some random guy but yet another lookout. Likely all three of the vehicles used to pull off this theft are stolen, showing you how organized these car theft rings are. Someone is teaching and organizing these guys, something we hope police in Chicago and elsewhere are working to figure out.
This whole heist was recorded at about 5:00 am on August 25. While most car thefts happen at night, we’ve also seen them pulled off in the middle of broad daylight. With punishments in court for these criminals on the light side, they’ve become far more brazen in recent times. Add to that the soaring values of used cars, especially Mopar muscle cars like Hellcats, and it’s easy to see why these crimes are becoming so common.
What’s more, there’s no denying these guys like Mopars. After all, they show up in two of them to steal a third. While the Challenger Hellcat is worth a considerable sum, if this were just about money these guys would’ve been trying to snag the Porsche 911 Cabriolet which was also in the parking lot. Why didn’t they? It’s worth far more than the Hellcat, but it’s also considerably more difficult to steal. But don’t worry, Dodge eventually will roll out its anti-theft protection which may or may not work, meanwhile countless more Mopars will be stolen from hard-working people.
