Communities advised to lock cars, remain vigilant during rise in juvenile crime

BEAVER ― At the beginning of August, Beaver County's law enforcement had recorded 103 reported car thefts throughout the year.

While this rate of vehicle theft is common for some major cities, the rural and suburban mix of Beaver County typically only sees a few car thefts throughout a month. A recent rise in juvenile crime connected to stealing cars has completely changed this statistic, creating an average of 14 cars stolen per month and causing almost all of Beaver County's communities to report a stolen vehicle this year.

"I don't think there's a community with more than 200 people in it that has not had at least one stolen car," said David Lozier, Beaver County district attorney. "We had 17 in the past two weeks, and they're all over the county. Some people point fingers at one or two municipalities, but this is an issue in every single municipality in the county."

Car thefts on rise: Local police departments say car thefts on rise, advise public to protect their cars

As local law enforcement work to address the issue, they are asking the public to remain aware of what is happening in their community and take steps to protect their vehicles. As the trends in juvenile crime continue to rise in areas around western Pennsylvania, this community effort can potentially allow for early intervention and stop serious crimes from arising.

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In many of the recent car thefts in Beaver County, minors have been involved with stealing vehicles for joyrides that end with them totaling the car at the end of the crime. While thefts have historically been more personal, the rise in access to car stealing information has created an environment where these juvenile offenders can quickly steal large numbers of vehicles.

"In the past, you'd have a couple of car thefts a month," Lozier said. "Those would be friends and relatives taking joy rides. Maybe some kid would steal a car and go to the mall or they crossed the river to visit a friend, where they abandoned the car and get home in some other way. What they're doing now is totaling the car at the end of the car of joyrides, so we now have 103 totaled cars."

According to Lozier, many of these car thefts are also assisted by videos on social media platforms such as Instagram Reels, Facebook Video and TikTok that show viewers how to start cars without a key. These videos have raised concerns for police across the United States, as these techniques have been used to steal several brands of cars. While some companies have offered fixes for their vehicles, not all solutions can be as easily fixed by software or anti-theft additions.

The impact this has on victims is growing, as many low-income families in Beaver County have been targeted by these car thieves. By totaling these families' primary means of transportation, some residents are being left without access to reliable transportation to jobs and can find it difficult to pay for a new vehicle.

"The impact on this community is far above 103 stolen cars," Lozier said. "They don't have $40,000 to buy a new car, they may not have $10,000 to buy a new car, and their insurance isn't gonna pay them in most of these cases."

In addition to the 103 recorded car thefts, there are growing numbers of juveniles stealing the items inside of vehicles. In many of these cases, thieves do not have to "break" into vehicles to access drivers' valuables. In many of the cases reported in Beaver County, cars are left unlocked in driveways or along the streets. One easy tactic for criminals has become testing door handles with a gentle pull or simply looking into windows to see if vehicles have been left unlocked, giving easy access to anything left inside these cars.

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"[The number of stolen cars] doesn't count the broken windows or the same kids going down the street flipping car handles to see if somebody leaves the door open," Lozier said. "They steal the gun, the wallet, the phone. Anyone in Beaver County who leaves your car unlocked is a fool."

While all types of valuables are stolen from cars, one target for many thieves is guns. While it is highly dangerous to store guns inside vehicles, this is a common practice in many communities across Beaver County and the law allows for gun owners to store an unloaded firearm inside their vehicle. As a result, thieves can often identify cars likely to be carrying firearms, and if left unlocked, gain access to these weapons.

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According to Lozier, firearms are highly valuable on the black market and can make it profitable to steal from these vehicles as a result. In a sample of 103 car thefts that occurred in Beaver County this year, investigators linked around one-third of those cases to a firearm theft.

The rise in juvenile offenders stealing from cars has put weapons into the hands of underage residents in Beaver County, with thieves potentially keeping the weapon for themselves. While current firearm laws in Pennsylvania allow for concealed carrying of unloaded weapons in vehicles, not all gun owners necessarily follow these laws and give minors breaking the law access to a loaded weapon.

"Everybody knows that there's certain in certain neighborhoods if you've got a pickup truck or a large SUV sitting in someone's driveway at night, half the time there's a gun, because the nature of the neighborhood or the nature of the employment," Lozier said. "I'm a radical Second Amendment guy, but I do not lock my gun in my car at night. If you secure your firearm in a car, locked or unlocked, when you're not in the car, you're a fool. Because that's where the firearms come from that kill our kids."

All of the incidents are also tied to a larger issue with the prosecution of minors, as a lack of available beds at juvenile detention facilities prevents police from holding these offenders for longer than six hours. Without the opportunity to take time to intervene or offer solutions, many of these juveniles are released within hours and create a revolving door without consequences for these misdemeanors.

While local officials from several counties are looking for a solution to this shortage of detainment options, the lack of consequences has resulted in several groups continuing to break into vehicles or steal cars in local communities without any major consequences.

"We have a very high recidivism rate, which means that many times they steal another car and get arrested again," Lozier said. "The police put them in the back of a patrol car and they laugh at the police, saying 'What are you gonna do, send me home?' Now, this is happening all across Pennsylvania. When we look at the statewide analysis, it's worse in western Pennsylvania because of the closing of Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, it was more than closing that door. We have the worst problem, but it's impacting all of western Pennsylvania and much of the United States."

Communities are advised to report suspicious behavior, remain vigilant of property

As elected officials and law enforcement work to solve the issues with juvenile crime, the public is being advised to remain vigilant and do their part in protecting their property.

One of the best ways to help law enforcement prevent crimes before they happen is by reporting any suspicious behavior in the neighborhood, especially if unfamiliar groups of teenagers are acting strangely. If these groups are paying extra close attention to parked cars and attempting to open cars they don't own, it should be reported to the local police as soon as possible.

If video is available, residents should save the clips of suspicious behavior so police can use the video to identify any individuals involved in the potential crimes. Some of the juveniles involved in the recent car thefts have begun to conceal their identities with face masks, which should also be reported to police if seen in local communities.

"There's a group of these juveniles who are wearing face masks, so if you see a young man in your neighborhood wearing a face mask at any time during the day, call the police," Lozier said. "I have asked the police departments to take off the mask and identify the youth. You're allowed to identify individuals under suspicious circumstances, so if you see a juvenile wearing a face mask in Beaver County, anywhere during the day or night, call the police and they will come and identify the individual. We have to develop a list and there must be consequences for this behavior."

In addition to remaining vigilant of suspicious individuals, residents should always lock their cars whenever they are not inside their vehicles. Even in the more rural communities of Beaver County, thieves will target vehicles that look unattended and may have valuable items inside. If possible, cars should be parked in well-lit areas that potentially have camera surveillance.

Any valuables should be taken out of residents' cars for maximum safety. Firearms should never be left in an unlocked vehicle and at no point should a loaded firearm be left in a locked or unlocked vehicle. While this may be inconvenient, safely storing firearms is important for gun safety and may potentially save lives.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Communities advised to lock cars, stay vigilant for youth crime