Three Montreal men charged in Ottawa car theft case

An Ottawa Police vehicle is seen behind police tape. (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa police say three men from Montreal are facing charges in connection with an alleged car theft in Kanata South.

Officers were called to Gowrie Street and Barra Avenue Tuesday afternoon after someone reported a man disconnecting a trailer from a vehicle and thought it was suspicious, police said in a news release. A similar vehicle was stopped some time later on Highway 417. Police said it was reported stolen.

Wesley Julio-Heng, 19, Jessy Aresenault, 20, and Wilkenson Rimpel, 20, all from the Greater Montreal area, are facing numerous charges including theft of a motor vehicle.

Ottawa has seen a rise in vehicle thefts in 2022.

More than 1,500 vehicles were reported stolen in Ottawa in the first nine months of this year, Ottawa police have said. There were 1,185 vehicle thefts reported in 2021, 951 in 2020, 1,007 thefts in 2019 and 1,019 in 2018.

Experts say 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, in order to steal vehicles. High-end luxury cars are often targeted.

Ottawa police encourage residents to take steps to protect their vehicles from theft, including using secure garages, where possible, or getting a port lock or electronic vehicle immobilizer.