It happened- someone tried to steal my car

[Physicslawyer]

Is that house a short term rental like AirB&B or VRBO ?

No. On the block over, the houses have all been purchased by investors who have turned the homes into rentals. Many are two family. I don't think they started out that way. On my block, the homes are single family and owner occupied.

My neighbor across the street is a local politician of sorts and her goal in life is to prevent Airbnbs here. We are a tourist town. I know where the Airbnbs are, we do have them. There aren't any in the immediate area.

 

[RichAZ/CapeCod]

I don't exactly feel safe where we are in NY either. ... There must be somewhere you can live and feel safe in your home.

One "problem" is, the police are under no legal obligation to protect you. They owe you no duty as they are "public servants" and only owe a duty to the public. Way too complex a subject for a short post.

There are places you can "feel safe." I own homes on Cape Cod (Outer Cape) and in a small community south of Tucson. Very safe. Of course, in AZ, everyone is armed to the teeth, so there's that... :-/

Rich

 

[nate704]

There must be somewhere you can live and feel safe in your home.

Definitely not in NY/NYC, DC, Baltimore, LA, Chicago.

 

[FatherTo1]

They are warned now. It's surprising sometimes to realize how many idiots still do not know about Teslas.

I was selling something on FB Marketplace and met up with someone locally in Sacramento, CA. There are quite a few Teslas here. The buyer was traveling from Walnut Creek, near Fremont and the Bay Area, which is a major Tesla hotspot. Yet when I mentioned I'd be in a white Model Y, the response was "what's a Model Y?". I took it for granted that most of California knew what Teslas are.

 

[Doublea88]

Sorry to hear, try to keep your car parked with the front of the car facing their house and sentry always on. The front camera records at a higher vantage point and is also clearer than the rearview camera. Hopefully this incident scares them from even walking next to your house.

Also live in NYC but it's much worse here, was always thinking of buying a small house somewhere in PA or upstate NY to be away from it all.

 

[Kairide]

Looks like someone was just door checking to see if they could steal anything inside the car. The clickbait title is overly dramatic as there is no evidence the person was trying to steal your car.

 

[TSLY]

I'm a 5'5"/120 lb female. I'm not at all imposing. This is a rough looking guy. I can't see that ending well.

I think you did the right thing reporting it. My advice is twofold. Get Simplisafe and a Beretta.

 

[byeLT4]

I think you did the right thing reporting it. My advice is twofold. Get Simplisafe and a Beretta.

Good idea, I doubt thieves would think there is anything valuable in a Chevy Beretta

 

[TSLY]

Definitely not in NY/NYC, DC, Baltimore, LA, Chicago.

Or Texas, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon.

 

[ColoradoMike]

Why not go over to his house and introduce yourself. Ask him if he is interested in purchasing a Tesla because you and your vehicle observed him near your vehicle. Ask if he has any questions on purchasing an EV?
That might be enough to discourage him from going near your Tesla any more?
Who knows maybe he was just ogling your vehicle?

Wow....this is absolutely NOT the way to go!

 

[Balthezor]

That really sucks not feeling safe in the house you bought. Sorry to hear about this. It's terrible.

 

[NovaTech]

In the near-term, I would install a motion activated flood light - or more than one if needed. I have several that surround my pool as a late night teen deterrent. Lighting the area would probably deter all but the most determined criminal, which this person really doesn't seem to be.

 

[Olle]

We have ring flood lite cameras and alarm in addition to the doorbell. connecting them all to the ring app was a breeze.
Maybe something to consider? If the thieves are too dumb to realize that they are being recorded, the motion activated lights should hopefully scare them.

I am actually hopeful for crime going down in the future due to the proliferation of constantly recording cameras.

 

[howardnj]

I don't exactly feel safe where we are in NY either. My house there is entirely surrounded by hedges and you can't even see the house from the street. I have had random people walk up to my door. This is in a "nice" area in NY, Northshore LI where homes are more spread out, no sidewalks. You get privacy, but there is isolation that goes along with that.

There must be somewhere you can live and feel safe in your home.

Come to New Jersey! No Sales Tax on EV's

 

[jsight]

The cop went to the house he came out of and they are swearing they don't know him and have never seen him before. Fascinating.

Is it possible that they weren't staying there? Maybe they checked out that house for easily aquirable valuables before visiting your car?

 

[Physicslawyer]

A house nearby had five masked teenagers sjos up at midnight, so it's possible.

 

[ermis1234]

I have recently ordered a model Y and I want to understand if it is easy or not for someone to steal my tesla. I have read obviously about sentry mode and enabling the pin to start function....but is this enough to have piece of mind?

 

[Mike_TV]

but is this enough to have piece of mind?

Yes. Not easy to steal and if they do the car can be tracked via the mobile app.

 

[Olle]

I have lived in both gated (with manned gate and nightly security patrol) and non gated upscale communities with some of the lowest crime rates in Florida. According to the neighborhood watchdogs, somebody still came through and checked car doors every once in a blue moon, usually at 4 am. A neighbor got his laptop stolen out of his unlocked car in our gated community. The sheriff's office came and talked about it at our HOA meeting. They said it was considered normal.

My point is that this can happen even in safe communities so I wouldn't worry too much.

Edit: One more thing; it might not even be some thief or psychopath, could just be a drunk neighbor walking home from the bar feeling that he/she is about to pass out, unable to reach their house, looking for a car to sleep in. Not acceptable of course but a large part of the population can't handle alcohol/don't know when to stop drinking.

 

[SalisburySam]

From @Physicslawyer posts, my quick review of stated relevant facts:

• Area becoming more dangerous
• Fear when jogging in the area, avoiding certain areas
• 2k sq. ft. garage partially unusable for parking
• Fear of being a target both because of displayed wealth and personal size
• Greater level of transient renters, and trend is accelerating

So my totally unasked for and quite possibly short-sighted suggestions based on the above are things you can do:

1. ToDo today - fIrst and foremost: add a comprehensive monitored security system to the home and surrounds.
2. ToDo today - reno the garage so your can park all vehicles inside and locked up, and monitored through the system in Step #1.
3. ToDo today - arm yourself for jogging runs. At least begin with some defensive martial arts moves designed for protection against much larger attackers. Sprays do work, expandable police-style batons holstered or attached to keychains are an option, and if you are qualified and comfortable step up to more aggressive protection with a sheathed knife or ultimately a holstered pistol. Since all of these can also be turned against you, the phrase “qualified and comfortable” means lots of training.
4. Get involved in the city government, especially any police oversight bodies or citizen advisory groups. Push to get the area patrolled more often with aggressive community-oriented policing practices in place. Try to stop the trend from annoyance crimes to violent ones.
5. As and if the environment continues to deteriorate, turn the home into an AirBnB/VRBO/whatever as neighbors have done…and move.

Good luck.