DETROIT – Attention Ford drivers: That particular brand has become a target for crooks, just ask anyone who lives in Corktown.
"I came outside to leave for work and my car was on cinder blocks," said Sandy Kennedy. "I just couldn't believe it. I am still beyond words right now."
The sights and sounds of tow trucks have become all-too-common here in Corktown. It's a neighborhood caught in a car theft crime wave. On Friday morning, Kennedy's white Ford Focus was the latest target. Her car of only 4 months had all 4 tires stripped, was barely balancing on blocks and the only thing left behind were lug nuts.
"The wheels had some black on them but they were just stock. I never imagined they would be fancy enough that someone would want to steal them," Kennedy said.
Her car was parked outside of her boyfriend's house overnight at 11th and Church.
"I left for work about 1/4 after 6 this morning," said Kennedy's boyfriend, Steve Myers. "Everything was fine when I left, then she called me at 10:30 a.m. and told me they were on blocks."
Detroit police and Corktown's Development Authority say the car theft has been at an all-time high for 2 months straight. Another report said a Ford minivan was on blocks at Wabash and Elm Street. When our Local 4 truck drove by, we found a pile of lug nuts in the middle of the road.
Detroit police say it's not just tires getting ripped off, but people living in Corktown have reported carjackings, break-ins, even cars being stolen out of nearby business parking lots.
If you have any information, you're asked to call Detroit police.