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Burglar may be using electronic device to break into cars
Ted Land, KING 5 News 5:33 p.m. PST
January 11, 2015


Surveillance video recently captured by a North Seattle homeowner shows a man approaching a locked minivan, checking the handle of the door, taking his hands off the car, and moments later the van's dome light turns on, indicating that it became unlocked. The man then gets in the driver's seat and starts rummaging through someone else's belongings.

The incident is raising questions about whether criminals are using some kind of new technology to get in.

"It shocked me," said Lars Carlson, who owns the car and was sure he locked the doors. After a few unexplained car break-ins, Carlson recently installed the cameras that captured the surreal scene.

His neighbors across the street say it happened to them, too.

Seattle Police are investigating, and say they've heard the theory that someone might be using some kind of electronic device to unlock doors, but they say they have no evidence to support that.

"It is a (possible) thing, it is just a frequency over the airwaves that sends signals, so if you can duplicate that signal or even pick up the signal and replicate it, sure," said Patrick Lopez, who works at Stereo Warehouse in Seattle, where he installs keyless remote and auto security systems.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry group that tracks car thefts, recently warned about small, handheld devices which can pop some electronic locks in seconds. The scanner boxes as they're called are illegal, but available for purchase on the internet.

"The technology I think is something we're going to see more and more of," said Carlson.

For now, all the he can do is make sure there aren't any valuables in his van, and he'll keep his cameras rolling.

"It caught me completely off guard I wasn't ready to see that," he said.