Richmond police warn Honda owners after 21 vehicles stolen in just over 2 weeks

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond police are urging Honda owners to take extra precautions as detectives investigate a string of vehicle thefts across the city.

CBS 6 first reported on the issue in September. Now police say 21 Hondas have been stolen across Richmond since Sept. 20, with three of the latest incidents involving Honda CR-Vs.

Watch: Police warn Honda owners after multiple thefts in Richmond linked to electronic key fobs

One of those vehicles belonged to Woodland Heights resident Erin Lunsford, whose Honda CR-V was stolen from outside her home last week. The theft was captured on camera.

“They used some kind of remote radio detecting device to activate my keys inside my home, and then unlock and start my car,” Lunsford said.

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Lunsford said her vehicle was locked at the time and contained thousands of dollars worth of music equipment.

“Everything that was taken can be replaced, but that sense of security can’t,” she said.

Richmond police Lt. Brian Rogers said the number of Honda thefts has continued to grow.

“Since September 20th, we’re over 20. Just broke 21 yesterday, so that’s where we’re at as of today,” Rogers said.

Police say the thefts are also spreading to additional parts of Richmond.

“Now we’re seeing it also affecting, like, the Museum District, the Fan, areas north of the river,” Rogers said.

Investigators say they have found car door locks on the ground at some of the theft scenes, suggesting the thieves are defeating the vehicle’s lock before getting inside and finding a way to start it without the key fob.

Police have not confirmed exactly what technology is being used in the thefts, though investigators believe criminals may be taking advantage of a key fob signal even when the key is inside a home.

“It’s definitely concerning when you see something like this because we don’t have many investigative leads at this point,” Rogers said.

Rogers said Richmond police had not been made aware of surrounding jurisdictions experiencing a similar trend as of the interview.

Police said Flock license plate readers have detected several of the stolen vehicles in Petersburg, and detectives are following those leads.

Officers are recommending several precautions for Honda owners. One option is placing key fobs inside a Faraday bag, which is designed to block the fob’s signal.

“You can buy Faraday bags to protect, to place your key fob inside that Faraday bag that blocks the transmission of the signal,” Rogers said.

Police also recommend using a steering wheel lock, which Rogers said can serve as a visible deterrent.

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“It’s a visual deterrence too because when the criminal looks in your window, they see this,” Rogers said. “They’re probably going to move on because this is, it would take several minutes and some tools to defeat this.”

Police also recommend that Honda owners consider putting a tracker in their vehicle and check Ring or other home security cameras if a theft occurs nearby.

Despite the recent string of Honda thefts, police say overall vehicle thefts in Richmond are currently on pace with the same time last year. However that could change if the Honda theft trend continues.

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