Thieves swap the fob to steal vehicle from Rockland, Ont. lot

ROCKLAND, ONT. -

A brazen vehicle theft from a car lot in Rockland, Ont. was caught on camera this week and was likely a success because the alleged thieves took the original key fob used to get into the vehicle and swapped it with a fake.  

"Right away it was kind of a red flag here for me," said Matthew Wilson from G & M Auto Sales and Service in Rockland, 35 km east of downtown Ottawa.  

On Wednesday, three men asked to see a Jeep Cherokee and a Dodge Charger, but Wilson says things quickly felt amiss—the man purchasing the vehicle didn't have his licence and they kept asking if there were more expensive vehicles, he said.  

The man checked out the Charger and promised to return with a licence. It was then Wilson discovered the key fob didn't work.  

"I went to that car and the car's not working, doors aren't opening," he said. "I gave them the benefit of the doubt for a second, I went into the shop, changed the battery, obviously still not working." 

Security footage he viewed after shows two men appearing to swap key fobs. The company contacted Ontario Provincial Police in the hopes a sting operation would prevent a theft but Wilson showed up at work the next day to find the Charger missing. 

G & M Auto Sales and Service in Rockland, Ont. says security footage shows two men appearing to swap key fobs for a vehicle while checking out a vehicle on Wednesday. The Dodge Charger was stolen Thursday morning. (G & M Auto Sales and Service/submitted)

"At 2:58 a.m., two vehicles showed up, five of them actually this time came out and made the escape with the Charger, pushed right through our blocker that we had… damaged that, probably damaged the Charger a bit too and took off with the vehicle." 

The OPP says the investigation is ongoing, adding vehicle theft is keeping officers around the region busy.  

Wilson doesn’t think he'll see the vehicle again, but hopes the footage will help police make arrests in the future.