More than 500 vehicles stolen in Ottawa in 2023; police recover 75, charge 8 people
CTV
Ottawa police say more than 500 vehicles have been stolen in Ottawa so far this year, up 30 per cent from this time last year and only a fraction have been recovered.
Ottawa police say more than 500 vehicles have been stolen in Ottawa so far this year, up 30 per cent from this time last year and only a fraction have been recovered.
Police launched a lengthy operation dubbed "project phoenix" in January with the aim of stopping the growing problem of vehicle thefts in the city.
In a news release Wednesday, police said to date eight people have been arrested and are facing a combined 67 criminal charges. The accused include two Ottawa residents, two Gatineau residents and four people from Montreal.
Police say 504 vehicles were reported stolen in Ottawa between January 1 and June 30 of this year, up from 387 over the same period in 2022. To date, police have found 75 stolen vehicles, worth a combined $3 million. They include Honda CRVs, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tacoma, Jeep Wranglers and other luxury vehicles.
Wranglers, in particular, have been a popular target for thieves this year, according to previous data provided by police. Many thefts are linked to criminals replicating the digital signal emitted by the key fobs used to unlock and operate luxury cars, in what's called a "relay hack."
Police also said officers stopped two shipments of cars en route to Montreal for expected export overseas.
"Not every stolen car is destined to be exported," said S/Sgt. Cathy Brown, with the Ottawa police serious and organized crime directorate in a news release. "Some stolen vehicles are re-vinned with a fraudulent VIN, and then get used by organized crime domestically."
