Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports on tire thefts at a park-and-ride lot in Prince William County.
Commuters who use the Horner Road park-and-ride in Woodbridge, Virginia, got a terrible surprise Wednesday. They returned from work to find their vehicles on blocks with all four tires missing.
The window was also smashed out of a Dodge Infiniti.
Michael James noticed the unusual sight when he stepped off a commuter bus from D.C. about 4:45 p.m. Sept. 9. At first he thought someone just had a flat tire.
"As I looked closer I saw one tire, two tires, all four tires are gone," James said.
He looked around and was even more surprised to spot two more cars missing tires. His wife called 911.
In all, four vehicles' tires were stolen.
"No one wants to deal with that," he said. "You work all day, you're commuting, and then you come home to see that."
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James said vehicles with wheel locks were untouched. He suspects whoever hit the commuter lot didn't work alone.
"It had to be a crew, at least two or three people," he said.
Commuters at the lot saw the same thing May 28. Vernon Londagin returned to the lot that day to find his SUV missing all four tires. He learned two other cars were hit. He said one driver saw three to four men flee from the scene, all wearing masks over their faces.
James and some other commuters put up warnings on social media about the most recent tire thefts.
"I would like to see the county step up patrols and just be more visible," he said.
Both Prince William County and Virginia State Police patrol the lot, but they didn't spot the thieves. Police urged commuters to report any suspicious activity.
