OPP sees spike in auto thefts along Hwy. 401 corridor in eastern Ontario

Thieves are targeting vehicles in rural areas and towns along major highway corridors, as car thefts continue their upward rise.

Now, thieves are finding ways to outsmart security features installed to prevent them. 

Roger Haley says his truck was stolen so quickly and quietly out of his rural driveway, he didn't notice until the next morning.

"I pushed the button to start the vehicle and I didn't hear it running outside and I said, 'That's funny. I don't hear the truck running,'" Healey said. "Looked outside, it wasn't there."

The mayor of Front of Yonge Township even had a surveillance camera pointed at his vehicle, but it was easily disabled by the thieves.

"That's the first thing I did, check the video, and the only thing I saw was me coming home the night before and there was nothing, it was all blocked," Haley said. 

"But it's a Wi-Fi system, and I'm told that the only way they are secured is if they are hardwired into the house," he added. 

The theft occurred overnight in late December. When officers arrived, they told Haley that six other vehicles were stolen the same night from rural driveways.

"We are seeing it continue to climb within the OPP and I'm sure within other municipal police forces, they are seeing the same thing," Acting Sgt. Erin Cranton told CTV News. 

"Certainly, we've seen an increase in rural areas as well as along the major corridor from Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal." 

Cranton says high-end pickup trucks and SUVs are the most popular targets. Statistics show there were 121 vehicles were reported stolen in the OPP East region between Oct. 1, 2022, and Jan. 24, 2023.

Of those 121 vehicles, only six have been recovered.

But police say they recovered 166 vehicles in total that were stolen from other locations across the province.

Vehicles are also being targeted from locations close to major highways, providing thieves with an easy escape plan, like the 401. 

However, police say they are watching.

In Toronto, at least 32 cars have been stolen every day in 2023, with Highway 401 a popular route. 

"Officers have intercepted numerous vehicles along that major corridor," Cranton said. "We've had some successful arrests and recoveries of stolen vehicles."

"It is keeping officers busy but they are working diligently to intercept, locate these vehicles and recover these vehicles and hold those accountable by laying those charges."

As for prevention, Cranton says park in a garage if you have one, and add anti-theft devices or a GPS tracker.

"If it's parked in your driveway, parking a less valuable vehicle in front of it, making it harder to get it out of the driveway," she said. 

"Certainly, security cameras and extra exterior lighting would be ideal and then after market GPS," Cranton said. "We've actually had occurrences where owners of the vehicles have been able to track their vehicles after they have been stolen, which has assisted OPP in locating that vehicle and making an arrest."

She notes that rural residents should also report seeing any kind of suspicious activity around their property. 

"Call in anything suspicious. If you see a vehicle that is not familiar in the area, may look suspicious or a person or individual, certainly call us, let us know," Cranton said. "The vehicle you observed, make, model, any description of the person and let us follow up on that information provided."

Haley said he's added four new anti-theft devices to his replacement vehicle, including a new alarm and GPS tracking system, but says manufacturers could also do more.

"The manufacturers have to do a better job at putting security systems on their vehicles because insurance people, they're upset because they have to replace them, the consumer is upset because they have to replace them, and it's very easy for the manufacturer to say, 'Oh, we don't care because you're replacing them,'" he said. 

"There's got to be a fine line in there. They have to do a better job because this is going to get worse and worse and worse," he added. 

"It's more disturbing that they come right into your driveway and onto your property to do it," Haley added. "It's one thing for it to disappear in a Walmart parking lot but it's troubling that it's happening overnight."