‘New driver, screwdriver, cracked steering column’

By Steve Neavling on October 19, 2013715 Comments

“DON’T YOU DO IT! DON’T YOU DARE! STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!”

When you have that sort of commanded barked at top volume in the dead of night, followed by a sudden flash of light, and the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, you stay right where you are.

And that’s what I did before quickly realizing the yelling, flash of light, and footfalls were coming from outside my house, not inside. I was motionless and terrified, listening to what turned out to be an arrest of one car thief, a failed foot chase for his accomplice through my backyard, and the removal two partially stripped cars from right under my bedroom window.

On that October morning about one year ago this week, two young men pushed cars they’d stolen to the back of the driveway of the abandoned house next door, then got to work stripping them before being caught in the act by Detroit Police.

Exactly one week later, my 2012 Ford Fusion was stolen out of that very same driveway. Maybe it was opportunity. Maybe they hadn’t had the time to steal my car – I had parked on the street after work that day because someone else was using the driveway when I got home – because the police showed up. Maybe it was an act of retaliation by the thieves. It didn’t matter. My car was gone.

This wasn’t the first time someone decided they needed my car – or parts of it – more than I did. Over the years, I’ve had the tires stolen off of one car twice – once despite having wheel locks. One car was broken into three times then subsequently stolen out of my mom’s driveway and totaled. One car was crashed into by a hit-and-run driver with enough force to move it from the front of my house to the curb of the very same abandoned house that became an impromptu chop shop, doing extensive damage, but not enough to total it.

As in all the other instances, when I filed a report with DPD (which I always had to do over the phone because no cop would come out), the police made me feel like I was the criminal, asking me several times if I’d committed the crime, or if I knew who did. I got a report number for an insurance claim, but if I wanted a hard copy, I was told I’d have to pay for it.

A week after the theft, I got a call from an especially impertinent DPD operator: “You do know we found your car, don’t you?” They never found the thieves.

Abandoned just five blocks from my house, the car was totaled. The front end was removed, an airbag stolen, the battery cut out, the back passenger side window shattered, the transmission had been forced into gear, the engine irreparably damaged. If you have a steering wheel lock like I did, throw it away. It’s quickly disengaged by thieves with a small sledgehammer. The thieves left mine in the back seat.

As in all the other instances, my insurance rate skyrocketed. Currently, I pay $2,171 a year for full coverage thanks to a clean driving record and a decent credit score. This is a bargain. I’ve received quotes as high as $3,800 a year. I know people with terrible driving records and horrible credit, but use address outside of Detroit to get a much lower rate than me.

Looking for a new vehicle, I did my homework. I talked to my insurance agent, the manager of the impound lot that received my stolen car (he, by the way, charged my insurance company $400 to tow it 20 miles to my collision shop), and a car rental agent. They all agreed car thieves in Detroit prefer to steal American. I now drive a compact foreign car.

You may think I’m crazy, but I still park in that abandoned driveway. Why? Given the choice between a potential hit-and-run on the street or a thief targeting me again, the driveway is the better bet.
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But know this: I still awaken panicked in the middle of the night because I’m sure I’ve heard a new driver with a screwdriver cracking my steering column.

2012 Ford Fusion, detroit police, police, steve, stolen cars, stripped, Theft, Thieves

‘New driver, screwdriver, cracked steering column’ added by Steve Neavling on October 19, 2013
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Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.