PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police received nearly a dozen reports of airbag thefts in three city neighborhoods.
“When I walked over to my car, I didn’t expect my whole steering wheel to be taken apart,” said Nora Yosko.
Nora Yosko snapped pictures of her torn damaged steering wheel and glass all over her car.
“Very shocked,” said Yosko.
Yosko was also shocked at how quickly it happened. A nearby security video shows a car pulling up. Two people are seen getting out of that car, smashing the driver’s side window out, popping the airbag out and leaving - all in the span of about 30 seconds.
“They knew what they were doing,” said Yosko. “How fast it was. You can see them come out. They’re kind of scoping it out. They smash my window. Have that. And they’re already gone.”
Pittsburgh police say, so far, they’ve received 10 reports of airbag thefts in the past two nights, four from Bloomfield and another six from Shadyside and Point Breeze. All of them were stolen from Honda Civics. Police say the stolen airbags are then sold online where shady mechanics can purchase them for $50-200 instead of around $1,000. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Insurance industry statistics show that approximately 50,000 airbags are stolen each year, resulting in an annual loss of more than $50 million to vehicle owners and their insurers.
“I would have assumed they would have stolen something else, but my airbag that’s not something I would have suspected,” said Yosko.
The night this happened to Yosko’s car, another Honda was parked near hers, but it had a club on the steering wheel. Police say anti-theft clubs are a huge deterrent.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW