Posted on 03/12/25
| News Source: WMAR2NEWS
Baltimore, MD - March 11, 2025 - A driver is fed up with people trying to steal her tires. Last summer, all four of Vanessa Strand's tires were stolen, and last month, thieves tried to do it again.
This is a growing crime trend in Anne Arundel County that’s difficult to police. Thieves work quickly, typically overnight, and the lack of unique markings on tires makes them hard to trace, which may explain why there's been a surge in these thefts in the last few years.
“I come around the corner and I knew something was wrong, because the car was leaning, it was sitting low. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And I could see the yellow crates. And they had took all four tires and rims,” Strand recounted.
Fortunately, her insurance covered the damage. “It came to like $5,900. State Farm covered it all, and that was with the wheels, they messed up a rotor, the front right rotor, so they had to fix that,” Strand explained.
She then had wheel locks installed, thinking the thieves would move on to the next target, but just last month she noticed someone attempted to steal her tires again.
“They took the lugs and the wheel locks and left one wheel lock on,” said Strand.
But they left the tires. Strand thinks it's because they couldn't get the full set, or they were spotted.
“Maybe somebody came up and spooked them, so they just took off,” Strand speculated.
Both incidents happened in Odenton where WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii reported on an increase in tire thefts in 2023. Thieves had been targeting garages with broken gates.
READ MORE: Police see increase in tire theft reports, particularly in apartment complexes
Since then, Anne Arundel County Police have reported a significant increase in tire theft incidents, jumping from 68 in 2022 to 179 in 2023, with nearly 300 cases recorded last year. Notably, 11 percent of these reports occurred in Odenton, while Linthicum Heights accounted for over 32 percent. Glen Burnie (16%) and Hanover (13%) also reported high numbers.
“This is a really tough one for detectives to solve,” said Marc Limansky, spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
The agency applies data-driven strategies when deploying patrol resources. Officers are provided with information on dates, times, and locations of current incidents within the county and then focus on these locations, conducting periodic checks throughout their shifts. Limansky said it isn't easy to assess whether or not an act was deterred or displaced to another location. “We think that it's multiple groups acting, and we don't think it's just isolated to Anne Arundel County,” he added.
“Did you ever think you would have to go to these lengths to protect your tires?” Sofastaii asked Strand.
“No. With a Honda Accord? No,” she replied.
Strand doesn't want to pay an additional $150 a month to park in her development garage, so she's invested in a new device she believes will finally solve this problem.
“It looks sort of like a claw, and it's steel and what you do is you install it over the lugs,” said Strand. “So, you have a key, and the actual wheel lock itself, so it's like triple protection.”
It's called Rimgard, and it cost Strand over $400.
“It’s expensive for wheel locks, but after going through that and with the $6,000 claim, it's worth it,” Strand stated.
If you're not looking to spend as much, there are other things you can do. Park in well-lit areas with high foot traffic and surveillance cameras nearby. Park in a garage.
Standard wheel locks cost between $20 and $50 and you can install them yourself or some mechanics will do it for free. Police also warn that if you install wheel locks on your car, don't store the wheel lock device in the glove compartment, as thieves know to search there.
For more information on Rimgard, click here.
Sofastaii also contacted the Baltimore County and Baltimore City police departments for information on tire thefts in their jurisdictions. This article will be updated with their responses.