Last night at 10 p.m., I heard a group of teens loudly laughing and talking under my guest room window. I looked out the window to see what was going on.
A young man (20's?) was walking toward my car in the carport. He ducked down behind the front of my car. The group fell quiet. Couldn't see what he was doing. He crouched too long. I slammed open the window.
"HEY!" I shouted loudly. "Get away from my car!"
He stood up and began running on the snow and ice. "What the HELL are you doing?" He vanished into the night.
With trepidation, this morning I checked the front of my car. No damage. Glad I keep my car locked and the carport is lighted.
My brakes are fine. No damage.
Might want to make sure they didn't attach an air tag. You never know.
Good point.
Good job. It pays to stay attentive.
About 30 years ago in Mesa a woman had her car stolen during one day from our work parking lot. We monitored the lot with cameras but they were too fuzzy and far away. She got a useless video of some guys pulling up, breaking into her car and driving away.
Bad actors can disappear quickly and alert prevention can be hugely easier than recovery.
Where I live we all have garages, and my car is always parked in the garage. For a few weeks I did have a second car parked on the driveway, but that was temporary and is gone now. My neighbors complain about their cars parked on their driveways, how their cameras record strangers messing with thier cars. So many neighbors have garages full of junk and park on the drive. I don't understand it. @LiterateHiker, if you have the capability put a camera on your carport, they can be set to alert you for movement. The floodlight idea is also good. You might check with the local PD for what kinds of problems have been reported recently.
I had a similar situation recently but I couldn't see them, only heard them. As I am still living in my garage and they had no way of knowing I was 10 feet away I used the car clicker so it beeped. Immediately they fled and may have had to change their underwear.
@Phoenixone1 suggested video with floodlights which is a great idea. You can get battery powered ones that alert you on your cell phone.
Get a video system installed and make sure the lens of the camera is hidden. Infrared trip system that triggers floodlights.
We have had a lot of thefts of catalytic converters here in my neck of the woods (San Diego, California).
Yep, here in Texas too, even in the small town of Eldorado.
He might have been intending to cut your brake lines.
You gave me something to worry about. Thanks for the heads up.
@LiterateHiker Check for brake fluid on the ground before you get in. Check that the footbrake feels as it normally does before you start moving.
Thank you.