Gang initiation – or…
local dealer trying to get more business.
After all – if you need a new owner’s manual, won’t you go to the dealership to explain what a “weird” situation it was?
Vandalism is not a “prisonable” offense, and stealing an owner’s manual worth a few bucks is not a felony, so… if you get caught, then slap on the wrist.
In the state of Minnesota, I believe $250 is the “threshhold” for something that is a felony.
James
I am leaning towards a combo thing. Somewhere between the selling on eBay and gang training. I know back in college there where a few cars broken into in the city in Tennessee where I went to school. My wife and I both drove similar vehicles to the ones that got broken into. The difference was that we had manual and the others were automatic transmissions.
Turns out it was a training session for some young gang recruits, but none could effectively drive a stick shift.
I did a search on eBay and narrowed it down within 25 miles of 60609. There are sev eral for sale in “new” condition and for newer vehicles that I would not think would pop up in a typical junk yard. Most are listed as sets and there is even a seller that has a recent ID that is selling for German high end cars.
So how to thrawt the effort? They are still going to break in. A car alarm would only reduce their time in. Writing on the manuals would definately reduce the value. Perhaps something along the lines of “If found please return to . . .” or “please call…”
If the person(s) are selling the manauls and the number of manuals being sold - there would be a chance that a buyer would report them.
Just a few thoughts. . .
mobsters needed to locate trunk release to insert corpse. check the trunk. that’s where that new (not new car) smell has been coming from. manual was probably tossed in with the body.
2 important clues: near a church, and it happened to another person at about the same time…obviously there was a scavenger hunt. Probably the church leader should know that their youth went to felonious lengths to win.
As a teenager many years ago, a group of us would go on scavenger hunts, which was a contest to collect all sorts of odd objects, to bring back to a meeting at a church or school. She mentioned that her car was parked close to a church, which may have a youth group. Breaking into her car of course, is illegal, and the kids involved may have left the more valuable things to ease their consciences.
Guys! It’s so obvious why someone would break into a car and steal only the owner’s manual! Don’t you remember the episode of “Northern Exposure” in which the town of Cicely was experiencing the same thing…break-ins in which the thief took only minor items, just enough to let the owner know he’d been taken? The culprit turned out to be the dj of KBJR: Chris. He explained that sometimes you just need to do something to shake things up and remind people that they aren’t as in control as they delude themselves into believing…and what could be more appropriate in this insanely out of control election season??? Right??? Mystery solved.
This is so obvious, I don’t see why you are stumped. It must be because you are a couple of dumb, wrong-speaking idiots from Mass. Well let me enlighten you.
The people that Amy harmed are sending her a message. That clear message is that simply, they know how to mess with her. And if I were her, I’d steer clear of those people for good. They could just be kids, but I think they are worse than just that. I think they could be bangers and they may be involved with illegal activities.
Amy: Steer clear of these potentially dangerous people and let it go. You don’t want to get involved with these people and they’re giving you a break. Also, they probably will leave you alone from now on if you do the same.
As for you guys, I can’t believe you spent any time in a car shop, being around car people. You haven’t paid your dues at all in the grease if you are baffled by this simple bad-buy message.
It was a scavenger hunt – one of the items was a
Focus owner’s manual.
The only thing I can think of is that perhaps some young guys (girls?) have a club/“gang” and one of the initiations is to break into a car and get the owner’s manual and nothing else thus staying below the radar screen of the police. After all how many people are going to report it when nothing has been stolen. Or even if they report the break in since nothing was taken it’s not really a big deal. Then IF the kids get caught they won?t be in so much trouble as to go to court or jail. I’m thinking of kids 10 to 14 years of perhaps.
The thieves are clearly stealing the car…one piece at a time.
Since at least 2 similar incidents ocurred in the same area I’d guess it was a scavenger hunt, fraternity initiation or gang initiation.
Tom and Ray,
Our son lives in Arlington, VA and last weekend he called us to say that his Mazda had been broken into. Whoever did this went through everything but only took his owner’s manual from the car. They left his registration, CDs, radio and everything else. The dog’s blanket from the back seat did end up in the trunk where his golf clubs were untouched. We have been scratching our heads all week trying to figure this out. So, you can imagine. we almost went off the road when we heard Amy’s story today. By the way, the manuals were recovered. A neighbor found them a day later when he pulled his car out of the parking spot. We are as stumped as you…what is in the manual that someone would go to all of that trouble?
Amy from Chicago here!
I can’t believe that this happens as often as I have gathered. I think gang initiation might be right, although I like the idea about a glass repairman in dire straits better. I filed a police report but, as you can imagine, the Chicago PD don’t exactly prioritize manual-theft.
I too had an owners manual stolen out of the glove compartment. Was told by the police that it was a gang initiation.
I know this sound funny, but it’s very likely. The reason why would someone steal an owner’s manual may be because when they rented a car, they didn’t check that it didn’t have the owners manual in the compartment. So when they brought the car back, the people from the rent place realized that the owners manual was gone. So they could not return the car without a manual. The only way to get a manual (in the minds of those who did it) would be to steal it…and that’s how they ended up leaving everything else in the car, but took the owners manual.
You all know that criminals are not too bright. Trying to be accepted into a gang, they have a task to complete, that is, stealing a car. One of the gang hierarchy wants a Ford Focus with a manual transmission. So he writes “focus/manual” on a piece of paper,hands it to the gang applicants,and sends them out. They search the streets,see a Focus,read their written assignment,and bring back the focus manual.
She should check to see if the VIN plate from the left side of the dash on the windshield edge is still there. It’s been 8 years since I bought a new car, but the owner’s manual may contain paperwork with the VIN on it, and if they took the matching VIN plate and manual it could smoke-screen their chop shop.
I have heard that for leased vehicles, if you return the car without the manual, there is a hefty fee/fine (upwards of several hundreds of dollars). This has created the idea of breaking into cars, stealing those manuals, and then selling them. I would be interested if there are any car dealers that could speak to this.
I had my truck window shattered and the glove box rummaged through last week. Turns out, the only thing they took was a book of registration documents and my car manual.
My feeling is it is gang-initiation related. I live in an area that has gangs and have talked to the police about petty crimes in the neighborhood before. They say that gang-related “initiation” activities coincide with school starting in the fall.
I also had an extra key and my stereo in the car, both of which were not taken!!
I live in Jersey City, NJ, and the police came to a community meeting to talk about a recent wave of car thefts in Jersey City and Newark. The officer said that the thieves will first steal the owner’s manuals out of several cars, use the VIN # from the manuals to have keys made, then come back and steal all the cars on one night (like the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, but without Angelina and the Maseratis).