The Arlington Heights Police Department announced Tuesday, July 22, 2025 that a number of recent auto thefts and attempted auto thefts have indicated a crime trend in Arlington Heights and surrounding suburbs. Over the past two weeks, the Arlington Heights Police Department has received four reports of stolen automobiles and five reports of vehicles being damaged during apparent attempts to steal vehicles.
The incidents have been reported to have occurred in the evening and overnight hours, and have not been isolated to just one area, neighborhood or location in the Village of Arlington Heights. The Arlington Heights Police Department statement did not identify any of the specific locations or neighborhoods, or any of the specific characteristics of the locations, such as driveway, on-street or parking lot parking scenes.
The targeted vehicles have predominantly been manufactured by Hyundai and Kia but two of the incidents of the targeted vehicle makes were Toyota and Ford. The Arlington Heights Police Department did not break down which manufactured vehicles were stolen and which involved apparent attempted auto thefts.
The police department also did not break down any information that provided whether the vehicles were unlocked or locked, or whether Key FOBS were in the vehicles or placed near the vehicles inside the residence. There are theft devices that can detect and decode Key FOB signals if Key FOBs are near a vehicle or near the exterior of a house.
Thieves using key FOB signals to defeat locks and steal vehicles (Deborah Souverain/CBS Miami). YouTube Tips ⓘ
A key FOB, also known as a remote keyless entry system, is a small electronic device that allows you to remotely control certain functions of a vehicle, like locking and unlocking doors, opening the trunk, or even starting the engine, without needing a physical key. A key FOB works by sending a radio frequency signal to the vehicle’s receiver.
The Arlington Heights Police Department provided the following preventive advice …
When possible, park in well-lighted areas.
Lock your vehicles.
Do not leave key fobs in the vehicles.
Report any suspicious behavior to the Arlington Heights Police Department by calling 911.
Vehicle owners may consider purchasing an anti-theft device such as a steering wheel lock to further deter criminals from targeting their vehicles.
Steering wheel locks are not 100 percent theft-proof, but may may help deter thieves from choosing the vehicle with a steering wheel lock.
Additional Vehicle Deterrent Recommendations Provided by Additional Sources …
Kill switches, including such as starter, ignition and fuel disablers
Vehicle theft alarms
Tracking systems, such as LoJack and Apple AirTag devices (not as effective as dedicated GPS devices).
Do not leave your vehicle running and unattended.
Stay informed with news from The Cardinal’s Emergencies Behind the Scenes Facebook page — Facebook.com/CardinalEmergencies. Includes links to favorite public safety and emergency rescuers and product manufacturers and safety companies that have facebook pages. Submit your pictures or just stay up-to-date on with fire, rescue, EMS and police photo galleries. Please add your public safety photo to the wall album — go direct to the Arlington Cardinal Emergencies Behind the Scenes photos. For a list of all of The Cardinal Facebook fan pages, go to Arlingtoncardinal.com/about/facebook …
Help fund The Cardinal Arlingtoncardinal.com/sponsor
