Plum, Oakmont see rash of overnight vehicle thefts, break-ins

Several Plum and Oakmont residents awakened Wednesday morning to find items missing from their cars — or their cars missing entirely.

Plum resident Christina Williams said she left her Rustic Ridge home at 6:45 a.m. to head to work, but her Lexus was not in her driveway.

Soon after, she said, a police officer arrived at her home with her ID and credit cards, which had been found in a neighbor’s car.

Tracking her car using a built-in GPS, Williams said she found it parked in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. While some items such as her registration, sunglasses and cash were stolen, Williams said other items of value were left behind.The car itself, she said, was “completely fine.”

“I’m frustrated, but I’m happy to have my car,” she said.

Williams said she switched her car’s key fobs and now plans to keep it in her garage.

Joe Oleksak, who lives in Plum’s Highlands neighborhood, said someone had tried to enter his car unsuccessfully just after 5 a.m., which was a moment he captured on his Ring doorbell.

The video shows at least three people from two cars attempting to enter several vehicles in the area.

One of the culprits is seen throwing something across a cul-de-sac, which Oleksak said he later discovered to be a pocket knife.

When he spoke to Plum police, Oleksak said, a patrolman told him the suspects were seeking guns and valuable items like computers in unlocked vehicles.

A similar set of incidents occurred in the neighborhood a few months ago that resulted in a stolen car, he said.

“It seems like it’s happening more and more lately,” Oleksak said.

In a social media post on June 2, Plum police urged residents to secure their vehicles because of a “recent surge in thefts.”

Plum Police spokesman Det. Joe Little said he didn’t know how many vehicles may have been affected, nor whether other parts of the borough had reported similar incidents.

Oakmont Police Chief Michael Ford said about four cars were rummaged through in the upper area of his borough. None of them had signs of forced entry, he said.

The sole vehicle stolen from Oakmont, Ford said, was recovered in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood.

Verona Police Chief Tom Dessell said his borough also had one vehicle incident in the early morning.

Ford encouraged residents to keep their cars locked and key fobs outside their vehicles.