Durham police warn of uptick in car thefts after investigating over 90 last month

The Durham Police Department is warning the community to lock their cars after an increase in motor vehicle thefts.

Police investigated more than 90 cases last month alone.

The Medina family told WRAL News their theft was scary - it happened while they were asleep inside their house.

Police have recovered their car, but the family is still dealing with the problem.

Viridiana Medina and her family are footing the bill to clean up the thieves' mess in their car.

The Honda Fit was stolen in early January and recovered last Thursday.

"They were also driving with a spare tire, so we have to get a new tire, and my brother has to fix the brakes because they're really bad," Medina said.

Medina's mother's cleaning equipment was also stolen.

"It's scary because we don't know who took it or if somebody's watching our moves," Medina said.

Medina told WRAL News that Raleigh police arrested four people for the car theft.

"We were really happy. We had hope in God that it was [going to] be found and it was," Medina said. "They told us they stopped somebody in Garner, which was crazy to us, like how they got so far with it."

The most recent crime report presented by Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews to the city council showed an increase in motor vehicle thefts through September 2022 compared to the year before.

"We are seeing cars being stolen from other areas and being brought into Durham and vice versa," Andrews said.

Police also said you should not hide a second set of keys in your vehicle, and never leave your car running.