PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The most stolen vehicle in Virginia is the one with the keys left in it. That’s the message Virginia State Police wants people to remember in observance of National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month and as they hit the road this July 4 holiday.
Car theft is down in Hampton Roads, but the region is still leading the Commonwealth in auto crimes, just ahead of Northern Virginia. According to Virginia State Police, the summer season is when car thefts goes full throttle.
“We see the most thefts in that area,” said First Sgt. Peter Lazear with the Virginia State Police. “In fact, we’re now taking some practice steps to work with our Bureau of Field Operations and started getting our troopers a lot more involved in the recovery of stolen vehicles.”
Thus far, VSP has seen the greatest decrease of car theft in Norfolk between 2023 and 2024, but along with Portsmouth and Virginia Beach that ever still spike from time to time. Lazear said thanks to the longtime Heat Program, car theft has decreased statewide.
Hampton Roads car thefts 2024 (Source: Virginia State Police)
- Hampton: 23.98% decrease
- Chesapeake: 38.35% decrease
- Norfolk: 37.91% decrease
- Portsmouth: 22.47% decrease
- Virginia Beach: 16.39% decrease
VSP’s data shows in most cases, it’s a targeted hit on sought-after vehicles like Kias or Hyundais.
“They’ll go with kind of a shopping list,” he said. “And so, if they’re looking for, say, … a Toyota Prius because the catalytic converter is very valuable, they might drive around till they see one and then follow you home, and then turn out there and then take the vehicle.”
The thieves aren’t just after vehicle parts; they’re also eyeing full-size vehicles they can put back on the market.
“If they steal a common vehicle like a Chevrolet Silverado, they can take it to another state and they could attempt to change the identification of that vehicle, retitle it in a state that maybe has more lax laws than Virginia,” he says.
And there is always a bigger picture that VSP examines.
“When you think about the crime of auto theft, a stolen vehicle is what a season needs to commit major crimes like robbery, rape, arson, homicide,” says First Sgt. Lazear. “So if you can stop the auto theft, then you can stop those major crimes.”
VSP’s Heat Program offers a reward of up to $25,000 for information that can lead to arrests for auto theft crimes. You can submit those tips by calling 1-800-947-HEAT or by visiting heatreward.com.