The NOPD is seeking assistance from the public in identifying and locating a suspect who was captured on surveillance video burglarizing a vehicle.
See video here.
On Monday, (Jan.29) at or about 8:30 a.m., the victim exited his residence and walked to his silver 2013 Ford F150 that was parked in his driveway located in the 200 block of Berkley Drive. Upon entering his vehicle, the victim noticed the center console was open and the interior of the vehicle was ransacked.
The victim canvassed the interior of the vehicle for any missing property, at which time he discovered the spare key to his wife’s black 2018 Ford Fusion was missing from the center console.
The victim told police he did not believe he locked his vehicle door.
Anyone with additional information that can help officers locate the suspect is asked to call Fourth District officers at 504-658-6040. Citizens with information that can help solve crimes are asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.
Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention
Vehicle burglaries and thefts are largely avoidable. Here are some tips on how to avoid car break-ins and thefts.
1. Lock the doors
2. Close windows and sunroofs
3. Don’t leave valuables such as laptops, cell phones, wallets, purses or GPS devices in plain view
4. Put away the garage door opener and any items with personal information
5. Move valuables to the trunk before reaching your destination
6. Don’t leave any keys in the vehicle, including a valet key or a spare key for another vehicle that parks near yours in your garage, driveway, etc.
7. Park in a well-lighted place whenever possible
8. Use the emergency brake when parking to make it more difficult for a thief to tow your vehicle away.
Key fobs present a serious weakness in your car's security. An amplifier can detects key fob signals from up to 300 feet away and transmit them to your car so while your keys could be in your house, criminals could still unlock it. To prevent hackers from stealing your key fob signal you can wrap them in foil, place them in a foil-lined box or radio frequency signal blocking bag. You can also put them in your microwave oven – just don’t turn it on.