Tires: the new target of off-campus crime

Zoe Botley
Thu, 28 Sep 2023 02:36:26 +0000
Campus, Instagram Page, News, car insurance, car theft, community crime map, crime map, Fourth Avenue, Honda Civics, Hondas, insurance, norwich, summit, theft, tires, towing company, Toyotas, video, wheel locks, wheels

A student on West Norwich Avenue had their tires stolen in early September — one of at least seven similar incidents in the past few months. Photo Credit: Tristan Barrow

Lock your doors, and now, your tires.

According to the university’s Community Crime Map, based on data from the Columbus Division of Police, there is a growing trend of tire theft in the off-campus area of the University District. Between June 11 and Sept. 14 of this year, there were at least seven reports of the theft while in the same period in 2022, there was only one report.

Tristan Barrow, a third-year in operations management, was one of the seven reports. His tires were stolen on Sept. 11 at his residence on West Norwich Avenue.?

“I left for class with my roommate, and I guess somebody behind [the house] noticed that my car was on cinder blocks, and the tires and rims were gone,” Barrow said. “They knocked on our door and told my other roommate about it, and they called me. It looked like they propped it up to take the tires and rims off easier.”?

Of the seven reports this year, five of the cars were Hondas —?including Barrow’s. The towing company that picked up his car said the rims for Hondas typically go for more than some other manufacturers.?

Barrow said the incident’s cost was estimated at around $6,000, with an additional $600 for towing fees. His insurance covered the charges, but a week after the incident, he was still without tires.

“I actually haven’t gotten my car back yet since all the stuff is on backorder cause all these [Honda] Civics keep getting their tires stolen, but when I get it back, tire locks, alarms on it,” Barrow said.

Logan York, a third-year in economics, found his tires missing from his Honda Civic, which he keeps behind his house near Summit Street and Fourth Avenue.

“My car, out of all the seven guys in my house, was the only one that was targeted, but we have a house that lives to the right of us — they also have a Civic, and theirs was taken as well,” York said.

Unlike Barrow, York did not file a police report for the theft since he said he had no video evidence and insurance handled the cost. Unreported thefts like these are not included in data on the crime map.

Barrow said the tow company told him that wheel locks are strongly encouraged, especially with the high numbers of Hondas being targeted.?

Of the seven reports, all were $1,000 to $5,000 in value and most were Hondas, besides a 2023 Toyota Corolla XSE, whose theft value was $4,000, and a 2016 Ford Fusion valued at $1,000.?

Students can report most related crimes to the Columbus Division of Police here.