'10 seconds later they were gone': More than 1,500 vehicles reported stolen in Ottawa this year

The city of Ottawa is seeing a rise in vehicle thefts this year, with more than 1,500 vehicles stolen in the first nine months.

Barrhaven resident Marcin Wiechorek had a new Jeep Wrangler parked in his driveway. His daughter woke him up after hearing a noise outside, and seeing a black SUV parked next to their home.

"Some guy had some kind of white glove, and this fanny pack with some kind of device," Wiechorek said. "They ran to my car, it was parked on the side, and they started (the Jeep), and 10 seconds later they were gone."

The family called 911, and by the time Wiechorek ran outside his SUV was gone.

One night earlier on the same street, a few doors down from Wiechorek, Tony Puglise had his 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie pick-up truck stolen too. A nearby security camera captured the theft.

"I have an $83,000 truck that’s gone, and it’s nothing but a nightmare."

He says the video shows the entire theft of the truck took about eight minutes. Now, Puglise will face additional costs to replace the truck, as interest rates have increased since he originally purchased it.

From Barrhaven to Orleans, and throughout the city, a spike in stolen vehicles.

“I heard a rumble, but I thought it was kind of the car, like a car going by, and I just went back asleep," says Vanessa Laurin, who lives in Orleans.  

The family had their 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee stolen.

"With a baby, I completely rely on that SUV to go to my appointments or anything," Laurin said.

In the first nine months of 2022, there have been more auto thefts reported to Ottawa police than the total for each of the last four years. According to Ottawa police data, as of Sept. 26, there have been 1,502 auto thefts reported in Ottawa.

There were 1,185 vehicle thefts reported in 2021, 951 in 2020, 1,007 thefts in 2019 and 1,019 in 2018.

“With all the security and safety I was blown away. Like, I just couldn’t believe that somebody could come in here and steal the car so fast," says Wiechorek.

Thieves are able to use technology, like accessing the vehicle’s on-board diagnostic port or capturing the signal from your vehicle to program a new key fob, according to Bryan Gast V.P. of Investigative Services of Equite Association, an organization who works on behalf of insurers in fraud and theft investigations.

"All vehicles are capable of being stolen, particularly the push-button start vehicles," he says.

It’s not just one brand or type of vehicle that’s being targeted by thieves.

"Really, anything that’s a higher-end vehicle; again, pick-up trucks, SUVs, and luxury automobiles are all topping the list of all manufacturers."

Once the thieves drive away, many are heading to a port like Montreal.

"A lot of the vehicles that we’re seeing being stolen from Ontario and Quebec, we believe are being targeted specifically for the purposes of being exported out of the country."

Gast says the more layers you create to slow down, or deter a car thief, the better. Suggestions include using a steering wheel lock, modifying your car’s on-board diagnostic port, blocking your vehicle in with a less desirable one if available and park in your garage if you have one.  

He also says installing a GPS tracking device can act as a deterrent, and can help police to find your vehicle.

The top vehicles stolen in Ottawa this year, according to Ottawa police:

•  Honda CRV
•  Lexus / Toyota 
• Jeep Cherokee / Dodge Durango
• Ford pickup truck / Lincoln
•  Acura RDX