A San Antonio car dealer, fed up with break-ins at his lot, says he quietly turned his inventory into a high-tech trap. After hiding tracking devices inside items that kept disappearing, he watched on video as a man wheeled off a generator in real time, then called police. Officers say they followed the signal to a nearby home and recovered multiple pieces of equipment. The case is still under investigation and no arrests have been announced.
How the dealer tracked the theft
Alex Srougo, owner of HPD Auto Sales, told reporters he started tucking trackers into items around the lot after a string of break-ins. Stereos, boxes of tools, a pressure washer and a generator were all on the list. "The generator was one of the many things that we now have trackers on," he said.
Srougo estimates the repeated thefts have cost him more than $10,000, according to FOX San Antonio.
Police followed the signal and recovered goods
When the generator disappeared yet again, Srougo said he could actually watch the crime unfold. "I was seeing the video of him taking it in real time," he recalled. Instead of racing out to confront the man himself, he called police.
Officers then used the tracking signal to locate a nearby house and recovered several items belonging to the dealership. Srougo also told reporters he believes the same person has targeted other nearby lots.
At SA Auto Credit down the road, a man named Alejandro described a separate daytime theft that stripped him of about $800 in work supplies. Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the incidents, and the investigation remains open, according to FOX San Antonio.
Trackers can help, but police urge caution
Small GPS trackers can be powerful tools for locating stolen property, but officers repeatedly warn that they are not a green light for vigilante justice. In a previous San Antonio case, a tracked vehicle recovery ended in a deadly confrontation after the owner went to the location on his own, and officials have urged residents not to take matters into their own hands, according to CBS News. Police say business owners should call authorities and let investigators handle any recovery whenever possible.
