LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If you live in North Las Vegas, you'll want to double check you locked your vehicle's doors, especially if you drive a pickup truck. One neighbor says his truck was stolen straight from his driveway and he's not the only one!
New numbers from North Las Vegas Police show, not only are pickup trucks the top target of thieves in North Las Vegas, but the Ford F-series is their favorite, with 15 of them reported stolen last month alone.
"I just heard the loud noise of a truck starting up and taking off and I ran outside and it was gone," said Javon Holloway, a resident of North Las Vegas.
Holloway says his white Ford F-250 pickup truck was stolen out of his driveway in North Las Vegas just before midnight on Monday.
"It makes you feel violated. It sucks. I mean, that’s my source of income. Without the truck, I can’t work. So, there’s nothing I can do about it but look for the truck," said Holloway.
He says he's not the only one in North Las Vegas whose truck was taken recently. A quick search on his neighborhood Nextdoor app shows several posts about disappearing pickups within the last couple of weeks, with a common suspect.
"It looks like the same type of car, a burgundy [Chevy] Tahoe with mixed-match rims. It looks like it’s the same car at all these places," said Holloway.
North Las Vegas police confirmed to 13 Action News that between December of 2020 and January of 2021, at least 250 vehicles were reported stolen in North Las Vegas. Of them, pickup trucks were the top target for thieves. According to police records, the top three most stolen vehicles in December and January were all pickup trucks: Ford F-Series (33 reported thefts), Chevrolet Silverado (20 reported thefts), and Dodge Ram (13 reported thefts).
North Las Vegas police believe pickup trucks are among the most targeted because thieves want to strip the trucks and sell their valuable parts.
"Everything was locked up. I made sure everything was locked up. It’s a work truck and I’m not going to leave it unlocked. It was secure in my driveway, at least I thought," said Holloway.
Holloway says he just wants his truck returned so he can get back to work and restore his sense of security.
"It makes me very uncomfortable when somebody does something like that to you. I mean, you don’t know if it will happen again, when the next time it will happen, who else did it happen to. Everybody works for their stuff, so we just have to get this figured out," said Holloway.
North Las Vegas police say the number one way to prevent your vehicle from getting stolen is to lock all your doors, make sure all of your windows are rolled up, and don't leave your keys inside. But sometimes, even that's not enough.
For a list of 13 things you can do to prevent car theft, click this link.
