Oakmont police ask residents to lock vehicles after uptick in car burglaries, thefts

Oakmont police have put out yet another announcement for residents to lock their cars when they’re not in use.

“Recently, we’ve had a rash of car burglaries and car thefts,” said Oakmont police officer Emory Stofferahn. “The main reason behind that is people aren’t locking their cars.”

He said that lately, he has rarely seen a car that has been burglarized with a broken window or any type of damage.

“They go around and pull on door handles,” Stofferahn said. “If the car opens, they rummage through it.”

He said that because so many vehicles now have push-to-start ignitions, car thefts are also a problem. Even if there’s no key inside the car, if the vehicle is unlocked and the key is close by, when thieves enter the vehicle, they can easily start it and drive away.

“Oakmont is a very nice town, but you should never leave your keys in your car,” Stofferahn said.

Stofferahn said stolen cars recently have shown up in Pittsburgh.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve found all of (the stolen cars),” Stofferahn said. “There was one outstanding, but I’m pretty sure the city found it.”

One person is in custody for September car thefts in the Oakmont Commons housing area. Police previously told TribLive that 10 to 15 cars were broken into and multiple suspects were involved. Stofferahn said the suspects are not Oakmont residents.

He emphasized the importance of residents locking their cars in order to keep potential thieves at bay.

“The analogy I like to use is that a fisherman has a fishing hole where he always catches a fish,” Stofferahn said. “If he stops catching fish, he leaves. Think of these criminals as fishermen.”