Grand Island Police investigating spike in car thefts

GRAND ISLAND, NE — Police in Grand Island are investigating a rash of recent car thefts.

Police say they’ve collected eight reports of stolen vehicles since the start of the weekend. Captain Jim Duering says six of the thefts share a common thread: keys were left by the car.

“They weren’t necessarily in the ignition in each case, but they were either in or around the vehicle in each case,” Duering said.

Duering asks people to store their keys safely and lock their car doors. He also encourages them to call police if they notice anything suspicious in their neighborhood.

“We don’t think that they’re just accidentally tripping across these vehicles with keys in the ignition. Most likely, they’re walking through neighborhoods and looking through vehicles," Duering said. "So in that regard, there is the possibility that a suspicious activity report or people that notice unusual behavior in their neighborhoods could lead to an arrest.”

At least one of the stolen vehicles has been recovered so far. Police don’t have any suspects for the six similar thefts.

CAR THEFT LOCATIONS:

1100 block N Oak St

3400 block W 13th St

400 block Johnson Dr

500 block N Elm St

3000 block Gladstone Cir

200 block W 20th St

Northwest Grand Island

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