ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The damage to Eric Dixon’s Infinity G60 sedan reminds him of a movie he didn’t want to be in.
“They had a movie out a long time ago, Gone in 60 Seconds, you remember that?” Dixon said. “I should have been an extra in that movie because my car was gone in 60 seconds.”
Dixon’s car was one of 15 Infinities stolen in unincorporated St. Louis County during the month of August. So far, this year, there have been 22 stolen, compared to 19 stolen overall in 2022.
In the City of St. Louis, 68 Infinities have been stolen so far this year – that’s a 200% increase from the number of Infinities stolen during the same time last year.
Police say most higher-end cars get stolen when the keys are left inside. In a new theft trend hitting victims like Dixon, thieves don’t need the keys – or the car’s key fobs – at all.
Instead, they’re using devices most auto mechanics like Joe Barbaglia at Columbia Auto Repair in south St. Louis use to diagnose car problems to program their own key fobs, and drive away.
They’re not cheap, and they’re not regulated. So, Barbaglia said anyone can buy them even if they’re not a mechanic or running an auto body shop.
“The better the device, the more the cost, so it could be anywhere from up to $10,000 to $12,000,” he said. “They might steal a $80,000 or $70,000 car and they could turn around and sell those cars or strip them.
"It's an extreme high-end criminal now. It's not like the Kias and Hyundais that you just broke the window, busted the ignition column and used a USB port and took off. It's different.”
Police leaders from St. Charles County, Jefferson County and the anti-theft task force in Illinois told the I-Team they have not yet seen the problem – but are aware that it’s happening.
So is the automaker. In a statement to the I-Team, a spokesman wrote:
"The safety and security of our clients is a priority for INFINITI. An increase in auto thefts is an issue affecting many communities, and as thieves become more sophisticated, we are working to improve the security systems in our vehicles. To help minimize vehicle thefts, we recommend owners park their vehicles in well-lit and secure areas, and ensure the vehicle is locked at all times with all key fobs in a secure place outside of the vehicle. We encourage owners NOT to leave their key fobs in their vehicles, including any spares, as lockout protection could prevent the doors from locking and enable the vehicle to be started."
Police in St. Louis and St. Louis County – where the problem has surfaced – refused the I-Team’s request for an interview for this story.
“I think they should tell people,” Dixon said. “You should want to tell people that, ‘Hey, they're stealing this car, this is a hot car,’ so people can have an informed decision when they go out and purchase a vehicle.
“Nobody said anything about stealing Infinities at that time, so I didn't know they were stealing Infinities. So I found out the hard way.”
Dixon’s car disappeared Aug. 13, after he and his wife left it parked on their north St. Louis County driveway following a family party that filled their garage with outdoor furniture.
“Big mistake,” Dixon said.
The next morning...
“I looked out the window, and I'm like, ‘Uh, sweetheart, where's your car?’” Dixon recalled. “We both got up and came outside and there was glass in the driveway.”
Blurry surveillance footage from his neighbor's surveillance cameras showed the thieves struck shortly after 5 a.m.
“They saw the guys jump in the car and there was another guy in another car,” Dixon said. “They pushed it down to the end of the block and they used some kind of device to start it up and it was off with it.”
Another victim whose Infiniti was nearly stolen in St. Louis in August told the I-Team he caught the thieves in the act when he happened to look out his front door. He said they then fired a shot at his house, nearly striking him and his wife. He asked not to be identified out of fear for his safety.
Dixon said St. Louis police found his car on Sept. 6. He went to a tow yard this week. It was resting on three of its rims. The cobalt blue paint had been scratched and damaged, especially along the front bumper.
The Vehicle Identification Number had been scratched off – a key trait among the higher-end stolen cars so they can get resold without a vehicle history report, Barbaglia said.
Dixon also found a key fob inside the car that started it – and it wasn’t his.
Now, he has to wait until his insurance company decides what to do with what’s left of the car.
As for how to protect cars, Barbaglia says steering wheel locks like The Club used to deter Hyundai Kia thieves are the most effective.
“Put it in visual so people see it,” he said. “Don't flip your steering wheel around so it's down and you don't see the yellow, put it up so they see the yellow of the club.
“And that way when they see that car, they're not going to go to that car because it takes more time to steal.”