MARGATE, Fla. – Crooks in Broward County are stealing car wheels from unsuspecting owners and leaving their vehicles on bricks.
Gayle Saltzman was one of the victims.
She found her Honda Accord sitting on concrete blocks in the parking lot of her home in Margate’s Palm Lakes community.
She said she didn’t even notice until she was walking back home with her dog, Dallas.
“What the hell is that concrete doing underneath my car?” she said.
All four tires and wheels were gone.
“It’s horrible, because I couldn’t find a tow truck to come take my car because it has no tires,” Saltzman said.
Tow truck driver Steven Johnson came to the rescue. He said the trend of wheel thefts has resurfaced after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is becoming very common now,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he saw four examples just in the past week in Tamarac, Margate and Sunrise.
On Monday, Margate police said another four victims reported the same crime. They believe the criminals are targeting Toyotas and Hondas with upgraded wheel packages.
Residents in the Palm Lakes community are hopeful that the crooks appeared on one of the numerous home surveillance cameras dotting the neighborhood.
Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call Margate police.