It is not unusual for a car to be stolen. However, it is unusual to hear about the doors of a car being stolen and the vehicle being left behind. Thieves detached the doors without making a scratch or mark, or bending any hinges (which makes the owners think it was done by professionals). Nothing was taken from inside the vehicle.

Car doors stolen

The Baltimore couple discovered the interesting appearance of their car when they looked out their window Sunday morning and saw the car without doors on the passenger side. Ann Carmody concluded that a body shop probably needed two doors for a Toyota like her 2014 Camry.

She believes the car was targeted by professionals who knew exactly what they were looking for. Carmody's car was parked in the family's designated handicap spot on the corner of N. Milton Avenue and East Baltimore Street near the home where she and her husband Danny have lived for nearly 40 years. They have a handicap space because Danny is disabled with cancer and congestive heart failure.

Not the first time

This is the first time something like this has happened to Carmody, but a similar incident happened less than a mile away earlier this year. Last April, thieves stole two doors from Michelle Durham's 2008 Honda Accord. A security camera showed two people taking the doors in a matter of minutes. Like Carmody, Durham reported that no other parts were taken, and nothing was taken from inside the car.

Carmody suspects that the doors were needed at a body shop. Tom Reich with the National Insurance Crime Bureau confirmed her suspicion. He said hers and Durham's car doors were what body shops needed when they were looking for a specific car in a certain color. It takes two people only about five minutes to unhinge the doors and leave with them in the middle of the night.

Make it difficult for thieves

Reich advises people to make it difficult for thieves to steal their cars or car doors. He offered a long list of suggestions. He recommends that owners always lock their doors and park in a well-lit area. He also advised owners to install an alarm and to use brake or wheel locks. Finally, he said a kill switch, fuse cut-off, or fuel disabler could be installed, as well as a tracking system.

Carmody said she got to know her neighbors after this ordeal. They offered to take her and her husband where they need to go. They even set up a GoFundMe page to raise $600 for security cameras in the area. In just two days, $570 was pledged. Fortunately, the insurance company will cover the cost of new doors for the Camry.
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