PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thieves have been stripping tires and wheels from parked cars in several lots in Chinatown.
Robert Spear, CEO of EZ Park, told NBC10 that at least 18 cars have been hit in the last five weeks.
“They come in like they own the place. They don’t turn their headlights off. They leave them on and attack the car,” he said.
Surveillance video shows three masked suspects taking the tires off one car in just three minutes.
One of them slides crates underneath the car while another removes the lug nuts. The suspects then use a jack to lift the vehicle, remove the tires, and load them into the trunk of their car.
Spear said it has had a big impact on his business.
“It’s like a nightmare,” he said. “We have been in business a long time. We have developed a good clientele, and they are killing me. My customers are hurting. Business — I had a hotel [that] parked 30 cars — they left.”
He said he and his customers have reported the thefts to police, but he’s frustrated by what he said has been a slow response.
Philadelphia police have not commented on the thefts.
NBC10 is a broadcast partner of KYW Newsradio.
