(InvestigateTV) — Holiday air travel is often stressful enough, with long lines and layovers. But it could be another set of wheels that ruins a trip for motorists: Some of travelers returning from a Thanksgiving flight may find an empty space where they parked their car.
Many of the country’s major airports have seen increases in reports of motor vehicle thefts, with thieves targeting airport parking lots.
For example, vehicle thefts from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have more than tripled since last year, according to data obtained by InvestigateTV from the Atlanta Police Department. Through October, 301 cars were stolen, compared with 95 for all of 2023.
“You see so many really nice cars at the airport, people just don’t park there thinking that their vehicle is going to be stolen,” said West Clark, whose $150,000 BMW M8 Competition was stolen from the Atlanta International parking garage in October.
“There’s no real security present,” Clark alleged.
Clark’s car was ultimately recovered, primarily thanks to tracking technology he’d invested in for just such a situation — tracking devices being a common theme among theft cases where vehicles were recovered.
However, prior to its recovery, Clark’s vehicle was involved in a dramatic police chase, which he said was not only surreal but left him with additional concerns.
“It could have been used in committing other crimes,” he said.
High-end sports cars like Clark’s as well as pick-up trucks have been common targets for vehicle thefts from airports, and — just as Clark mused — used in robberies and other additional violent crimes.
InvestigateTV collected and analyzed data on reported motor vehicle thefts from 21 airports across the country, including the five largest by passenger volume, and reviewed Federal Bureau of Investigation data from five additional airports.
The data, show a nationwide trend of significant increases in 2022 and 2023, where some large airports — such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport — saw a doubling of car thefts for two years in a row.
Of the airports reviewed, Denver International Airport had the highest number of reported thefts with 1,325 reports over the last four years. Car thefts tripled from 2021 to 2022, then more than doubled again last year with 609 car thefts reported.
But so far this year, Denver has seen a decrease, with just 236 cars reported stolen through October.
InvestigateTV’s analysis of Denver Police Department data attempted to isolate reports from private vehicle owners, but officials said the figures still likely include reports from rental car companies for unreturned rentals.
Officials highlighted the roughly 65% decrease in thefts year-to-date but acknowledged the crimes remain a problem.
“DEN, just like other airports, is a target-rich environment due to the number of vehicles in our parking facilities,” airport officials said in a statement to InvestigateTV, adding that “99.9% of drivers who park at DEN do not experience these issues.”
Several of the airports contacted by InvestigateTV noted that while they may have seen increases in thefts, the number pales in comparison to the number of people who utilize airport parking facilities each year, and several airport authorities reported having increased security measures in response to the increased thefts.
In Memphis, for example, the 185 thefts that occurred from 2021 through October of this year represented just 0.008% of the 2.3 million vehicles that were parked over that time, a spokesperson said.
“That said, we believe that one car theft is too many and will continue to make this issue a top priority,” the spokesperson said, adding that the airport has increased police patrols, improved security camera coverage and beefed up security barriers at parking facility exits.
Several airport websites also acknowledged the increases in thefts and included tips for drivers such as locking their cars and removing any valuables.
InvestigateTV received a unique glimpse into how vehicles become tempting targets for thieves when parked at the airport thanks to a special tour guide: a convicted felon.
By the time Hondo Underwood was finally arrested in 2017, he was credited with more than 200 car thefts by Denver Police. While in jail, the former Marine decided to start helping the auto theft task force by teaching them his methods to catch other thieves.
Underwood agreed to explore the vulnerabilities of the Denver airport with InvestigateTV because he wants to keep passengers from losing their cars.
“If I can help educate people on how to prevent themselves from being a victim of auto theft, then I can start helping to change that,” Underwood said.
“I already see about 20 vehicles I would have stolen,” he said, looking at the DEN parking lots. Underwood agreed with the description of the airport parking lot as a sort of shopping mall for car thieves, because of its vast selection.
He also said the Colorado snow likely helps thieves pick which cars to steal: The owner of a car with lots of snow after a storm is more likely to return to the car while the thief is in the process of stealing it.
“The vehicles that don’t have snow are probably vehicles that just got here. Once they’re in the airport, they’re not coming back out for a while,” Underwood said.
The reformed car thief and InvestigateTV drove through the Denver airport parking lots for hours — and airport authorities never questioned the activity.
“We’ve been in and out of up and down garages, different garages, different sections of the garages, slowing down, stopping, driving around in circles multiple times on the same level,” Underwood said. “Not once have I seen a cop, an armed security guard, anything like that. So, I would say this is definitely an easy place to find a target.”
DEN officials told InvestigateTV they have increased patrols of security personnel and are upgrading security camera equipment and that there are plans to expand the use of a license plate reader to help prevent thefts.
Underwood stopped the car in front of a prime target. It was a white 2023 Rolls Royce Ghost, valued at around $350,000. “You’re leaving this million-dollar vehicle parked in an underground parking garage while you’re taking a flight somewhere,” he said, exaggerating its value.
He said if the car was stolen, the Rolls Royce likely would be on a ship within days, headed overseas, where thieves can get a premium for it.
Other popular targets are pick-up trucks, according to both Underwood and the statistics. Underwood said the double sliding back windows are easy to pop open with a flathead screwdriver. He said they’re also easy to start using filed-down ‘jiggler’ keys, a type of lock-picking device.
In 2017, before he left his life of crime behind, Underwood was caught stealing a pick-up truck that way in just seven seconds.
More expensive pick-up trucks can be sold just like the luxury cars, but thieves steal cheaper pick-ups to commit other crimes, Underwood said. Colorado recently indicted 13 suspects in a ring of alleged car thieves who would use the pick-up trucks — some stolen from Denver’s airport — in smash-and-grab burglaries of convenience and liquor stores. The alleged ringleader was convicted in October.
Videos show the stolen vehicles ramming into storefronts. The thieves used the trailer hitches to pull ATMs out, then used the truck bed to haul them away.
Adding to the list of violations, police reports reviewed by InvestigateTV show the thieves usually do not pay to get out of the parking lots.
In some cities, the alleged thieves simply ram the break-away gate arms at the exit.
Video from Philadelphia International Airport — which did not respond to InvestigateTV’s requests for information — shows a masked car thief pulling a gun on the gate attendant at an airport rental car lot so he and his associates could steal several cars at once.
However, at the Atlanta airport, surveillance video from the theft of West Clark’s BMW shows the thieves worked in pairs to thwart the parking gate in a simpler, less violent way.
A lead car entered the parking garage, Clark’s car was quickly stolen, and then the two cars headed to the exit together. The video shows the gate arm opening when the lead car placed the ticket in the machine. Clark’s BMW followed closely behind, piggybacking the lead car, exiting without using Clark’s ticket.
Atlanta, like many airports, has a brief grace period in the daily lot that allows you to leave without paying if you go to the exit shortly after arriving. The thieves are apparently capitalizing on this grace period to steal cars without paying a dime.
In a statement emailed to InvestigateTV, the Atlanta Police Department’s airport division said its commanders are “well aware” of the increase in vehicle thefts, and said the department is implementing additional security measures.
“We are confident our efforts already have and will continue to reduce crime and aid in the apprehension of those involved in crimes at our airport,” the statement said.
Clark said he was out of the country when his Apple ‘Find My’ app alerted him that the AirTag tracking devices he had placed in the vehicle were no longer at the airport.
“I had two AirTags,” Clark said. “[One was] easier to find, and it was in the trunk, and then I had a second AirTag that was farther into the body of the car.”
His vehicle was damaged, Clark said, mostly from the thieves trying to take the car apart to find the second, hidden AirTag that he said they must have heard beeping as he tracked the vehicle.
His BMW app also helped him track down the car because it alerted him that there was a problem with the drivetrain.
“So that told me, ‘My car’s in motion,’ and it had to be driving at a pretty high rate of speed for that type of problem to present,” he said.
The AirTag showed the car 11 miles from the airport, where police moved in and arrested the driver and a passenger.
InvestigateTV obtained several police reports of cars stolen from Atlanta’s airport and found that in most cases where the vehicles were recovered, the owners had installed tracking devices such as AirTags.
Underwood, the reformed thief, said tracking helps, but the only guarantee of not losing a vehicle is a different kind of technology .
“The only way to protect your car 100% is to install a hidden ignition switch,” he said. Ignition “kill switches” disrupt the electrical current needed to start a vehicle or shut off fuel lines, rendering a vehicle unable to start or practically undrivable when engaged.
Still, he said he would never park his own car at the airport, and Clark too said he doesn’t think he’ll ever park a car at the airport again.
“I would rather do an Uber or a taxi or something,” he said. “It’s just too risky.”
APD airport commanders are well aware of the nationwide rise in auto thefts from airport parking lots. APD commanders are in frequent contact with our law enforcement partners assigned to large airports throughout the country, sharing information and tactics in response to this increase. APD’s airport section has been working closely with our Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit and has been able to make several significant arrests of individuals involved in these thefts. Investigators are actively investigating these crimes and we are confident there will be additional arrests based on the efforts of our investigators.
We are also taking a proactive approach to addressing the increase in auto thefts. Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport management and the APD have implemented a number of additional security measures, including technology and equipment, that will aid in the investigations of auto thefts, reduce the number of stolen vehicle incidents and limit the ability of stolen vehicles to leave airport property.
We are confident our efforts already have and will continue to reduce crime and aid in the apprehension of those involved in crimes at our airport.
Denver International Airport full statement:
From January to October of 2023, compared to the same period in 2024, auto thefts decreased by 63 percent at DEN.
DEN, just like other airports, is a target rich environment due to the number of vehicles in our parking facilities. 99.9 percent of drivers who park at DEN do not experience these issues.
However, one auto theft is one too many. Through a focused and coordinated effort with our law enforcement partners and contractors to improve and increase security measures, surveillance, and enforcement, auto thefts at DEN continue to significantly decline.
DEN auto theft statistics include theft from rental car facilities. These locations maintain their own operations that are not managed by the airport. Theft statistics from rental car companies include missing inventory and vehicles that are past due (not yet returned).
Additionally, earlier this year, an individual was sentenced for their leadership role in a theft operation that targeted vehicles at DEN.
Recent security improvements:
• In 2023, DEN installed 11 additional HALO cameras in the East and West Economy lots as well as in the Pikes Peak lot which brought the total of HALO cameras across these three lots to 15, increasing security surveillance by 75%.
• DEN installed new barriers at key parking lot locations in 2023 to help prevent criminals from leaving parking exit lanes and damaging gate arms.
• DEN has been increasing the presence of security officers across the lots and constructed concrete barriers at the exit of these three lots to help reduce gate crashing.
Upcoming security improvements:
• DEN is preparing for more than 200 high-resolution camera installations (some are single cameras and others are pods of five cameras). These should be installed in 2025.
• DEN will add new robust data storage equipment in 2025 that allows the airport a greater ability to monitor parking facilities and assist law enforcement in auto theft investigations.
• DEN will be expanding use of License Plate Reader (LPR) technology to provide more comprehensive coverage of the entrances and exits to/from our parking lots and roadways.
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