Anyone missing their ride?
If you read Motorious regularly, you already know we’ve been sounding the alarm on the rising car theft rates for some time. However, some news outlets seem to just be realizing something is off. You would think with the problem being so large in California journalists there would already be focused on the trend, but a report out of Kern County where 14 stolen cars were recovered from an aqueduct is being covered as a shocking revelation.
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The news anchor who introduces the story starts off by talking about how people already know about the recent rash of catalytic converter thefts. Sadly, those have been a thing for years and years. While they’ve grown worse, grand theft auto has as well.
There are organized gangs outfitting street-level thugs with devices to reprogram car ignitions, allowing them to boost a modern vehicle in a matter of minutes. Many of these stolen cars are then shipped out of the country. Others are chopped and the parts sold. A few are used to commit other crimes. The lack of coverage by news outlets has left many in the dark about what’s happening. Why they’re not covering these stories more thoroughly is the real question to be asking.
California Highway Patrol did an investigation which led them to an aqueduct in Kern County. Then CHP Fort Tejon and other law enforcement agencies teamed up to search the waters, eventually extracting 14 cars and trucks from their watery graves. Each one was reported stolen.
While it’s possible insurance fraud could be a factor in at least some of these dumped cars, it’s also possible they were used as getaway vehicles in a number of crimes. We’re assuming that’s what the investigation will focus on now. However, even if the people responsible for dumping the vehicles are found, just what kind of consequences will they face? Sadly, it’s all too often a slap on the wrist and nothing more.
Photos: California Highway Patrol
