Car thieves in downtown Toronto found a key to break into a home

A number of residents in a downtown Toronto neighborhood are sounding the alarm about a crude and frightening trend that has seen suspects break into their homes with one goal in mind: steal the keys to their cars.

CP24.com spoke with three residents near Yonge and Lawrence who are concerned about the increasingly brazen ways thieves are targeting vehicles in the area.

One shared home surveillance video that captured the two suspects throwing a brick through a window near the front door to gain entry. Once inside, the two took the keys to the Mercedes-Benz GLA and drove away.

“We have cameras, we have lights. They were within a meter of a camera aimed at their heads. It didn't matter,” said Megan, who does not use her last name CP24 because she is concerned about her safety.

“They did not hesitate. They are so rude and determined to take our car.”

The incident happened on September 12. Megan said she and her husband woke up to a loud banging sound, which they initially thought was one of their two teenage children.

Car thieves break into a house in the middle of the city and look for keys.

However, when her husband goes downstairs to find out what happened, he finds their front door wide open and broken glass on the floor.

“Then we noticed my car was missing,” Megan said.

“We never dreamed that someone would break into the house to find the keys,” he added.

Megan is just one of several residents in the neighborhood who have had their cars stolen through this new scheme in recent months. CP24.com is aware of two other incidents that police are investigating, but the affected residents declined to be interviewed due to safety concerns.

“Absolutely terrified,” Megan said. “Anger is not a word. We are devastated.”

He said police were able to locate the Mercedes using the app, but only the items in the car, including the tracker, were found.

“What the police believe (the suspects) did is they hacked the GPS and threw everything in my car that had an AirTag or similar device,” Megan said. .

His car has not been found. There are no arrests for theft.

Last month's incident isn't the first time Meghan has been targeted by car thieves. In 2022, his Jeep Wrangler was stolen off the road. However, he said the incident did not affect his family as much as the recent burglary because it did not involve burglars breaking into their home.

“We've been through this before. It didn't feel uncomfortable because it was out of the way. It didn't affect my family. I didn't feel like it affected our safety,” Megan said.

“A year later and clearly, these criminals are becoming more and more fearless.”

Toronto police say the number of car thefts in the city has more than doubled since 2019.

As of Oct. 14, 9,476 vehicles were reported stolen in Toronto, a 30 percent increase over the same period last year.

“While I don't have the number of carjacking related thefts, I can tell you that the level of violence used in carjacking crimes is a new and evolving threat to public safety,” said a Toronto police spokesperson. Stephanie Sayer said in a statement to CP24.com.

“We have investigators working 24 hours a day to combat car theft in the city. This problem is very complicated, because the demand for stolen cars is very high, and criminals are very motivated.”

Sayer noted that it has been a significant problem in the city and that Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police are co-leading a provincial task force to address the growing number of violent car-related incidents.

Last month, York Regional Police also released video footage showing a group of suspects breaking into several homes to find the keys to cars parked in their driveways.

In the nearby Lawrence Park neighborhood, Didi Cameron, a neighborhood watch group she started, said there has been an increase in carjackings in the past few months.

“Whenever there's a new way of doing something, there's always an uproar,” Cameron said. “They're certainly nervous and concerned.”

Residents are uploading videos to the group to warn their neighbors. In one video shared by Cameron with CP24.com, a man can be seen trying to break a door window with a rock.

He said he contacted the local police department for tips he could share with residents. Cameron said he plans to host a town hall where officers can talk to the community and address their concerns.

He believes one of the reasons the suspects tried to break into the home was because residents heeded suggestions from authorities about what they could do to prevent their cars from being stolen, including using Faraday bags and steering wheel locks.

“We're all listening to the advice of the police and changing our ways. So now they have thieves, these criminals have to find a new way to get the keys,” Cameron said.

The suspects who targeted Meghan's car, another resident near Yonge and Lawrence, believe they also tried to steal her car the night before. Melanie told CP24.com that on the evening of September 11, several unknown persons came to her home and tried to break in. CP24 does not use his last name because he fears for his safety.

Security footage he provided to CP24.com shows a man holding a flashlight, walking out onto the front porch and peering through the window before checking to see if the door was open. After realizing it was locked, the man disappears from the video, and Melanie says the man tried to open the second entrance on the side of the house.

Moments later, he returns to the frame and starts looking inside the BMW parked in the driveway with a flashlight.

15 minutes after the incident, Melanie was woken up by an alarm on her phone, informing her that someone was on her property.

After checking the footage, he called the police. Melanie said her Range Rover was stolen a year ago, but her home was never broken into.

“It's escalated to (suspects) breaking into homes knowing residents are home, knowing they're on camera and knowing their alarms are on. They're still coming,” he told CP24.com.

“It's like a new tactic because they can't do the usual relay theft.”

Melanie, who has lived in the area since 2007, said residents in her area are worried.

“My car was stolen; it's uncomfortable. “It's not perfect, but it's completely different when they walk into the house,” he said. “It's a scary thing.”

In addition to the type of vehicles people in the neighborhood have, Melanie believes thieves target their area because of its proximity to Highway 401.

“They're able to get to the 401 freeway at 2 o'clock in the morning in five or 10 minutes, and they can be anywhere. They can be at 400, 404, 427, so it's very difficult to catch.”

As a parent, the incident made her anxious and nervous, especially when her son was alone at home.

“You should feel safe in your own home,” Melanie said. “You shouldn't feel like there's a certain car that you're driving that's going to be armed.”