Catalytic-converter bandits who forget their wallets, getaway drivers in uncharged EVs, and dolts stealing rare old race cars
Crime may not pay, but it does occasionally result in headlines. And we’re only too pleased to churn out the headlines about criminals failing at their pursuits, particularly when it comes to automotive theft.
You don’t have to look back too far in history to tally up a good number of examples of foolish people attempting to steal cars, or even just pieces from cars. From safety-neglecting catalytic converter thieves; to hapless fools who try to steal cars without learning how to operate them first, here are some of the most notable failed and foolish car crimes from recent memory.
Thieves in Australia thwarted by race-car start-up procedure, manual trans
Whoever tried to hit a rare car owner in a Melbourne suburb early March 2023 obviously didn’t complete their homework assignment, because the car, a rare Brabham BT21 – taken from a racer’s home shortly before it was slated to hit the track – was found just a couple of blocks away in what appears to be a botched robbery of the vehicle.
There doesn’t seem to be any video or images of the would-be thieves in action, but it’s probably safe to assume they pushed the car that distance. We say that because, as one of just over a hundred BT21s ever made back in the 1960s, and as few as 10 remaining, the open-wheel formula racer has a complex start-up procedure and a manual transmission with a heavy clutch that would likely test even experienced classic-car drivers.
Catalytic Disaster: Parts thieves lose lives cutting catalytic converters
It should go without saying, but both tragedies serve as reminders that parts theft is not only illegal, but also highly dangerous.
Getaway Tesla: Police nab electronics thieves at nearby EV charging station
You never see a getaway driver stop for gas in the movies. That rather important duty is performed off-screen, presumably, due to its inane yet crucial connection to the plot of any good heist film. But in real life, people are way dumber.
Officers recovered the stolen goods from inside the Tesla, as well as a number of firearms and a couple big bags of illegal cannabis.
Thief fresh out of jail bails in bail bond agent’s SUV
If at first you don’t succeed (at getting away with a crime) try again and return to jail with the same charges. That’s how the saying goes, right? Whatever the exact syntax is, it bears repeating, because people still don’t get it and probably never will.
Back in January 2023, a bail bond agent in North Carolina had their vehicle stolen from in front of a county jail by a man who was released from said jail just moments before, where he’d been locked up for stealing cars. The two individuals walked by each other in the entrance to the jail. “He has to be the boldest and the dumbest criminal in the city,” bond agent Nymea Cropper said. “The audacity to get out of jail, walk outside of the jail, and steal a car.”
Copycat crimes also don’t pay
History repeats itself, and so does crime. As such, there’s no shortage of examples of catalytic converter thieves failing to think their actions through and ending up with their wrists in handcuffs.
“They found the key in [a] bag and came back and reversed the car off the drive but then the silly t***s couldn’t figure out how to get it in drive,” the car’s owner, Toni-Leigh Evans, told The Daily Mail. Yes, somehow, somewhere between getting it reversed and finding ‘Drive’, things got too tricky for the two individuals, and they took off in the Audi they showed up in.
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