St. Louis police crack down on cold-weather car thefts

CLAYTON, Mo. -- Police in St. Louis County hope their apprehension last week of several young suspected car thieves will cut down on the number of autos swiped when the temperature drops.

In recent weeks, thieves in the county have targeted cars left idling -- and unattended -- by owners waiting for them to warm up. The cold weather helped thieves identify cars with keys left in the ignition because the frosty temperatures makes exhaust fumes visible.

In parts of the county, the theft of unattended cars in cold weather has been happening for years. In other communities, like the St. Louis suburb of St. Ann, it's a new phenomenon.

"This is the first winter in St. Ann this has happened," said St. Ann police chief Bob Schrader.

Schrader said thieves have stolen eleven cars in St. Ann in the past three weeks. Schrader said his department caught four juveniles on Monday and recovered four stolen cars.

Schrader said he thinks teens in gangs are encouraging each other to jump into a running car when the owner pops back inside the house as the car heats up.

Usually for joyrides

In his area, Schrader said, kids usually are taking the cars for joyrides, not stripping them or selling them.

"It's something they do to be cool," Schrader said. "But this is dangerous business."

Schrader said he's worried that young people may not appreciate the consequences of getting caught, or could hurt someone while behind the wheel on a joyride. And, Schrader said, he worries a vehicle's owner might act inappropriately if they catch a thief while a crime is in progress.

"People feel violated," Schrader said.

On Thursday, police in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue took three youths into custody after a vehicle was stolen with a toddler inside. A mother went inside a service station to pay for gas Wednesday and left her Jeep Cherokee running with her 3-year-old son inside.

Someone stole the Jeep, which was found a short time later, blocks away. The child was still inside, unharmed.

Also on Thursday, St. Louis County police were holding 17-year-old Anthony Thornton on a $25,000 bond after he was charged Wednesday as an adult with one count of tampering and 16 counts of stealing motor vehicles.

"He stole 16 cars and dumped one off," said department spokesman officer Mason Keller.

Keller said county police recored roughly 130 cars stolen in December. Those stolen vehicles did not all have keys in the ignition but, Keller said, the numbers of those types of thefts spike during the winter.

Police say Thornton is linked to separate car thefts in the county, though county officers are comparing notes with municipal police on car thefts, and said they could make more arrests.

In a statement, St. Louis County Chief Ronald Battelle asked residents to quit the practice of leaving their cars running in the cold weather.

"By leaving the vehicle unattended and running, you give car thieves just the opportunity they are looking for," he said.