Caught on camera: Car thief rummages through victim's vehicle

Victim had cameras all over home

SAN ANTONIO – Louis Wood awoke Monday to see that his vehicle parked in the driveway had been cleaned out, but luckily for him, the burglar had chosen the worst possible target.

“My family does security and we have very good cameras all over the place,” Wood said.

The camera directly over the driveway of his near North Side home had the best vantage point of the burglar in action.

(WATCH: Raw video below of suspect rummaging through vehicle.)

Ten feet from Wood’s front door, while he and his family were inside, a man in a small dark vehicle pulls up to the house.

While the engine is running, the suspect casually walks up to Wood’s vehicle and appears to have a remote control in his right hand.

It may have been one of the devices reported on by the KSAT Defenders last August.

The report featured a hacker and a cybersecurity expert who says rolljams steal electronic codes out of the air that are used in garage door openers and key fobs.  

“It’s pretty alarming to think someone could break into your vehicle when it’s locked,” Wood said.

Once inside Wood’s vehicle, the surveillance camera clearly shows the suspect with the overhead light on, rummaging through the front console, grabbing various items including a Spurs cup.

Wood said the suspect not only left his fingerprints on the cup, but the video shows other areas he touched.

About a minute later, the suspect takes a gym bag from the back seat, then gets into his car and drives away.

“It’s pretty amazing he can get in and out so quickly,” Wood said.

He said although the thief violated his peace of mind, he’s grateful his family was safely indoors.

“We got a lot of prints. We got a good picture of him. Hope whoever he is, he’s nervous,” Wood said.

Wood said anyone with information is asked to contact San Antonio police.


About the Author

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.

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