Xenon headlamp removals on rise
12-31-2001, 10:33 AM
#1
Xenon headlamp removals on rise
[From today's Bergen Record...]
Xenon headlamp removals on rise
Monday, December 31, 2001
By NICOLE GAUDIANO
It was a confusing moment on the road for Benjamin Benson -- and the cop.
Benson thought his xenon headlights were on while the Englewood Cliffs police officer at the red light insisted otherwise, pulling him over.
They were both wrong -- someone else had Benson's high-dollar headlights, making him a victim in a growing theft trend.
"We both got out of our cars and essentially our mouths dropped," said Benson, an attorney in Englewood Cliffs. "I was astounded. I was looking at the two gaping holes where my headlights used to be. There were wires hanging out.
"It was terrible."
High-intensity-discharge headlights, valued by motorists for their heightened illumination capacity, are typically found only on late-model import cars such as Benson's Acura.
They've also become a hot-ticket item for criminals, police say. Most recognized for their glaring blue hue, these expensive parts have lured thieves who have been snatching them at an increasing rate.
"It's happening all over the country," said Rockaway Township police Capt. Walter Kimble, a member of the vehicle-theft committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"It's a fairly new phenomenon. People are dumbfounded when they come out and find their headlights are gone," he said.
Several towns with malls, large office buildings, or apartment buildings in Bergen, Passaic, and Morris counties have reported such thefts in the past few months.
Acura headlights -- like those on Benson's 1999 3.2TL -- appear to be a favorite in this area, along with those on Audis and BMWs. They can cost more than $2,000 to replace.
"There becomes a market for these used parts," said police Capt. Steve Hervey in Fort Lee, where six cars have been hit since August. "A fence will buy them from the bad guy and sell them under the guise of legitimacy to a body shop."
The thefts are property crimes, with incarceration an unlikely sentence for a first-time offender, Hervey said. Police are finding arrests tough to make, unless someone stumbles across a theft in progress.
That's what happened Dec. 8 in Hackensack, when police caught two alleged thieves after a woman reported they were stealing the headlights from her 2001 Acura.
Police found the pair with two sets of headlights, an electric screwdriver, and Nextel phones with two-way radios for communicating with each other, said Hackensack police Capt. Frank Lomia.
Though the arrest led to charges in Hackensack and Maywood, police believe there are more thieves at work in the widespread thefts.
"They may be part of a larger ring of people doing this," Lomia said.
Wayne police have taken reports on almost 50 such thefts since last summer, including many at the Willowbrook Mall, said Lt. John Reardon. The Clifton Commons and public lots along Route 3 in Clifton have also been targeted, police said.
Keith Bogorowski, towing manager for Venusti Auto Body in Mahwah, said his shop replaced headlights stolen from four Acuras at the dealership in Ramsey three months ago.
"They were all 3.2s," he said, adding that the repair is expensive both for the cost of the replacement headlights and to repair the damage usually done by the thieves. "The bumper's pulled out and the grille is usually broken and the casing around the lighting is usually cracked."
Art Garner, a spokesman for the American Honda Motor Co., which manufactures Acuras, said his company is beginning to study possible ways to make the lights harder to steal.
The trend is also drawing increased scrutiny in law enforcement circles. "Obviously, we're going to have to start concentrating on it more and more," said Paramus police Detective Sgt. Kevin Smith. Police in Paramus have seen five such thefts in the past two weeks.
In the meantime, what can drivers do to safeguard their vehicles? Police say there is little advice they can give, other than to be careful where you park.
If Benson had known his headlights were a target, he would have driven his wife's Saturn to work, which is where they were stolen, he said.
The theft has been a major inconvenience, especially since he can't drive the car at night, he said.
Benson had to borrow his father's car, which he was still using Friday. He made a claim with his insurance company; they inspected it a week later and said it would take five to seven business days to process the claim and give him an estimate, he said. The claim could be anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000.
"It's not just the headlights missing," he said. "They also had to bend the metal to get them out."
Still, he considers himself lucky that the officer stopped him on Sylvan Avenue.
"God forbid I went on the Palisades [Interstate Parkway], where there were no lights whatsoever," he said.
---
The complete article can be found here - http://www.bergen.com/news/highbeam200112314.htm
Xenon headlamp removals on rise
Monday, December 31, 2001
By NICOLE GAUDIANO
It was a confusing moment on the road for Benjamin Benson -- and the cop.
Benson thought his xenon headlights were on while the Englewood Cliffs police officer at the red light insisted otherwise, pulling him over.
They were both wrong -- someone else had Benson's high-dollar headlights, making him a victim in a growing theft trend.
"We both got out of our cars and essentially our mouths dropped," said Benson, an attorney in Englewood Cliffs. "I was astounded. I was looking at the two gaping holes where my headlights used to be. There were wires hanging out.
"It was terrible."
High-intensity-discharge headlights, valued by motorists for their heightened illumination capacity, are typically found only on late-model import cars such as Benson's Acura.
They've also become a hot-ticket item for criminals, police say. Most recognized for their glaring blue hue, these expensive parts have lured thieves who have been snatching them at an increasing rate.
"It's happening all over the country," said Rockaway Township police Capt. Walter Kimble, a member of the vehicle-theft committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"It's a fairly new phenomenon. People are dumbfounded when they come out and find their headlights are gone," he said.
Several towns with malls, large office buildings, or apartment buildings in Bergen, Passaic, and Morris counties have reported such thefts in the past few months.
Acura headlights -- like those on Benson's 1999 3.2TL -- appear to be a favorite in this area, along with those on Audis and BMWs. They can cost more than $2,000 to replace.
"There becomes a market for these used parts," said police Capt. Steve Hervey in Fort Lee, where six cars have been hit since August. "A fence will buy them from the bad guy and sell them under the guise of legitimacy to a body shop."
The thefts are property crimes, with incarceration an unlikely sentence for a first-time offender, Hervey said. Police are finding arrests tough to make, unless someone stumbles across a theft in progress.
That's what happened Dec. 8 in Hackensack, when police caught two alleged thieves after a woman reported they were stealing the headlights from her 2001 Acura.
Police found the pair with two sets of headlights, an electric screwdriver, and Nextel phones with two-way radios for communicating with each other, said Hackensack police Capt. Frank Lomia.
Though the arrest led to charges in Hackensack and Maywood, police believe there are more thieves at work in the widespread thefts.
"They may be part of a larger ring of people doing this," Lomia said.
Wayne police have taken reports on almost 50 such thefts since last summer, including many at the Willowbrook Mall, said Lt. John Reardon. The Clifton Commons and public lots along Route 3 in Clifton have also been targeted, police said.
Keith Bogorowski, towing manager for Venusti Auto Body in Mahwah, said his shop replaced headlights stolen from four Acuras at the dealership in Ramsey three months ago.
"They were all 3.2s," he said, adding that the repair is expensive both for the cost of the replacement headlights and to repair the damage usually done by the thieves. "The bumper's pulled out and the grille is usually broken and the casing around the lighting is usually cracked."
Art Garner, a spokesman for the American Honda Motor Co., which manufactures Acuras, said his company is beginning to study possible ways to make the lights harder to steal.
The trend is also drawing increased scrutiny in law enforcement circles. "Obviously, we're going to have to start concentrating on it more and more," said Paramus police Detective Sgt. Kevin Smith. Police in Paramus have seen five such thefts in the past two weeks.
In the meantime, what can drivers do to safeguard their vehicles? Police say there is little advice they can give, other than to be careful where you park.
If Benson had known his headlights were a target, he would have driven his wife's Saturn to work, which is where they were stolen, he said.
The theft has been a major inconvenience, especially since he can't drive the car at night, he said.
Benson had to borrow his father's car, which he was still using Friday. He made a claim with his insurance company; they inspected it a week later and said it would take five to seven business days to process the claim and give him an estimate, he said. The claim could be anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000.
"It's not just the headlights missing," he said. "They also had to bend the metal to get them out."
Still, he considers himself lucky that the officer stopped him on Sylvan Avenue.
"God forbid I went on the Palisades [Interstate Parkway], where there were no lights whatsoever," he said.
---
The complete article can be found here - http://www.bergen.com/news/highbeam200112314.htm
12-31-2001, 11:23 AM
#2
Three Wheelin'
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When I was in NYC I went to 3 malls in Jersey. The Woodbridge mall, Menlow park mall, & the Jersey gardens drive mall. I'm glad my lights were still ok.
12-31-2001, 12:20 PM
#4
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Get the guy who made the shoe bomn for that guy on the AA flight to make a little bomb in the headlights. If they don't get a signal from the car in X amount of time... let 'em blow!
12-31-2001, 12:49 PM
#6
Who Needs a Type-S?
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My friend's shop has already had three TL's come in with missing headlights. Also the other nite at Hunts Point some white boy offered to sell me a set of TL HID's for $350. It sounded good but i didn't have the money (don't call me an asshole, I'm just being honest to what I felt at the time) His friend had an Accord with another set installed and damn they looked GOOD.
Maybe you guys should look into reinforcements for your bumper attachments??
Maybe you guys should look into reinforcements for your bumper attachments??
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