I received an early Christmas Present

If you remember, I posted about my Garmin 126 unit being stolen from my truck a month or so back. I spend the last three weeks in Chicago visiting my grandchildren and left my truck parked in my driveway.

When I went to use the truck on Sunday I noticed that the driver-side rear seat was down. This was unusual as I always leave the back seats up as I carry things in that area.

So I got out of the truck and opened the rear door. To my shock and extreme surprise, my stolen unit was laying on the back seat. While I was shocked at its return I was extremely happy since my insurance company was only going to pay me $1000 for the stolen unit. So this was a very nice early Christmas present. :)

Since I can not imagine an adult returning something he stole, I am assuming that the thief was a teenager in the neighborhood whose parents made him return the stolen fishfinder. Since the truck was locked when he stole the fishfinder and was locked when he returned it I assume he must have bought one of those devices that allow you to unlock vehicle doors.

But I am extremely happy that the thief gave me an early Christmas present by returning the fish finder to me. :santa Attachment 444886

Now that’s gotta be a rare thing to have something returned. Very glad it was but scary at the thought they can just unlock and do whatever whenever.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Now that’s gotta be a rare thing to have something returned. Very glad it was but scary at the thought they can just unlock and do whatever whenever.

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That is why I was shocked. I have never had anything that was stolen from me returned by the thief that stole it. That is why I now think it was a neighborhood teenager that stole it. Before I thought it had been stolen while I was at my doctor's office or while I was at Costco. I did not dream it was stolen while the truck was parked in my driveway.

You can buy tools now that will unlock a locked vehicle door within two minutes now. I saw this demonstrated a couple of years back when I locked my keys in my car. AAA came out and had the door unlocked within a couple of minutes. They insert the device in the door frame midway up the window and pump an attached pump to inflate it. This opens the door wide enough for them to insert another tool into the car and open the lock.

I hope the parents took the tool away from him/her after they returned all the stolen property.

My home in Texas had security cameras all around the house, with nice signs stating there were security cameras. This new house will have them the first week of January. It would have had them this week but I couldn't find anybody to install them this week.

Glad that your unit was returned (very unusual IMHO). If the thief can unlock the door at will, security is a real issue.

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Originally Posted by Retired2Fish

Glad that your unit was returned (very unusual IMHO). If the thief can unlock the door at will, security is a real issue.

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Google "unlock car door". You will find a wide variety of tools from $12.00 that will allow you to unlock any locked vehicle door. Plus there are a lot of YouTube videos to train the thief in the use of tools to unlock car doors.

And the trunk is also unsafe since they just need to open the car door to get to the trunk release.

I am now taking my more expensive fishing equipment into the house instead of leaving it in truck or car.

Wow! Happy you got your Garmin back. It’s possible the thief used a jiggler key to open your door. They are relatively cheap and fairly easy to obtain. I had my truck ransacked a few years back and I KNEW it had been locked. The police officer that took my report told me about them, I had never heard of such a thing. It’s a crazy world anymore.

What make and model of truck?

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Originally Posted by slowhand

What make and model of truck?

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2022 Ford F 150. But from what AAA told me when they unlocked my previous car, they can unlock most vehicles using the bladder type device.

I’ve seen that bladder device. Seems it would warp your door some.

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Originally Posted by ezgoing

2022 Ford F 150. But from what AAA told me when they unlocked my previous car, they can unlock most vehicles using the bladder type device.

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The reason I asked was the Dodge Ram has been hit hard recently after a entry hack went thru the teen community. The factory has a "feature" built into the software that allows the door to be opened if the keys are locked inside. A lot of owners had been leaving a spare fob in the truck, thus the sensor detects it. A quick 3 or 4 digit factory set sequence on the door's keypad will unlock it. And with the spare fob inside, it will start up and the kids drive away.

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2022 should be squawking if the key fob wasn't in it and a door opened, they probably had a code reader/jammer.

Chevy Silverado

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Originally Posted by ezgoing

If you remember, I posted about my Garmin 126 unit being stolen from my truck a month or so back. I spend the last three weeks in Chicago visiting my grandchildren and left my truck parked in my driveway.

When I went to use the truck on Sunday I noticed that the driver-side rear seat was down. This was unusual as I always leave the back seats up as I carry things in that area.

So I got out of the truck and opened the rear door. To my shock and extreme surprise, my stolen unit was laying on the back seat. While I was shocked at its return I was extremely happy since my insurance company was only going to pay me $1000 for the stolen unit. So this was a very nice early Christmas present. :)

Since I can not imagine an adult returning something he stole, I am assuming that the thief was a teenager in the neighborhood whose parents made him return the stolen fishfinder. Since the truck was locked when he stole the fishfinder and was locked when he returned it I assume he must have bought one of those devices that allow you to unlock vehicle doors.

But I am extremely happy that the thief gave me an early Christmas present by returning the fish finder to me. :santa Attachment 444886

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Just WOW bro , very cool and very uncool too

I would be thinking I put it behind my seat, forgot, thought it was s stolen and found it! :Rofl

They probably just wanted all your waypoints! :biggrin

Awesome that you got it back.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

I’ve seen that bladder device. Seems it would warp your door some.

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SD,
We were issued “ slim Jim’s” when I first started back in 1981.
Used those for years until the bladder type came out.
Combination of wedges, the bladder with pump (like blood pressure cuff) and a few tools to to trip at auto lock button or pull door handle on inside.
My department eventually adopted a policy to only open vehicles with children inside or other emergencies and not just because the person locked the keys inside.
No they do not damage the vehicle in most cases.
Didn’t know they were sold to the general public but I guess you can buy anything on the internet now days.
Should’ve considered a burglary tool unless you are in the locksmith business or some type of emergency service.
No reason a civilian should possess one but that’s just MY opinion.


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Originally Posted by Chuck Adams

SD,
We were issued “ slim Jim’s” when I first started back in 1981.
Used those for years until the bladder type came out.
Combination of wedges, the bladder with pump (like blood pressure cuff) and a few tools to to trip at auto lock button or pull door handle on inside.
My department eventually adopted a policy to only open vehicles with children inside or other emergencies and not just because the person locked the keys inside.
No they do not damage the vehicle in most cases.
Didn’t know they were sold to the general public but I guess you can buy anything on the internet now days.
Should’ve considered a burglary tool unless you are in the locksmith business or some type of emergency service.
No reason a civilian should possess one but that’s just MY opinion.


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Our local Menards has them in store!

That’s crazy guys. Of course you can just look up online anything you want and it show you how to do it. Somethings shouldn’t be known and used by the general public. :twocents

Wow!
Super happy for you.


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I've "broken" into many of my own trucks and my kids cars with a pocket knife and a coat hanger, wire, or a tree branch one time when the keys were locked inside. It's not that difficult. But its pretty awesome that you got your unit back!

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Sorry to hear your truck got broken into, but happy you got your Garmin back!

If your theory is correct, hopefully the parents are successful in keeping their kid on the right side of the law.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Now that’s gotta be a rare thing to have something returned. Very glad it was but scary at the thought they can just unlock and do whatever whenever.

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A RARE thing indeed! Nice, and the beginning of the story wasn’t in the holiday spirit, but something happened in the end.
Bob

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Originally Posted by thill

Sorry to hear your truck got broken into, but happy you got your Garmin back!

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I knew Santa was Real!
If anyone would like to break into my truck and leave a Garmin, I'd prefer a 126sv and could give you the door code if it helps ya. White F-150, PM for code. :biggrin

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Originally Posted by keeferfish

I would be thinking I put it behind my seat, forgot, thought it was s stolen and found it! :Rofl

They probably just wanted all your waypoints! :biggrin

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Only the driver side seat was pulled down and the unit was setting on top of it so it would be easy to see when you opened the door. The passenger side rear seat was still up.

I would have thought so if the unit would have fit behind the seat with the seat up had I not torn the interior of the truck apart three times after I discovered it missing. Besides, they did not return the small tackle box they stole at the same time, they just returned the fish finder. Which is another reason I think it was a neighborhood teenager. There was a large tackle box setting next to the small tackle box, a powerstation jumpstarter. three rod/reels and other miscellaneous other items that were more valuable than the small tackle box. An adult would have stolen the more valuable items than the small tackle box.

If they wanted the way points the joke was on them, as all the way points are from Texas lakes and the finder was stolen in Tacoma. Would have been a long drive to use them. :Rofl

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Originally Posted by BuckeyeCrappie

Awesome that you got it back.

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I still find it hard to believe! I have never had a stolen item returned before this.

But now I have to find another reason to justify buying the gpsmap 1243 unit. After doing all that research for a replacement unit I was dreaming about hooking a huge computer monitor to the HDMI output of the 1243 unit and having the biggest fish finder screen on the lake. :Rofl

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chuck Adams

SD,
We were issued “ slim Jim’s” when I first started back in 1981.
Used those for years until the bladder type came out.
Combination of wedges, the bladder with pump (like blood pressure cuff) and a few tools to to trip at auto lock button or pull door handle on inside.
My department eventually adopted a policy to only open vehicles with children inside or other emergencies and not just because the person locked the keys inside.
No they do not damage the vehicle in most cases.
Didn’t know they were sold to the general public but I guess you can buy anything on the internet now days.
Should’ve considered a burglary tool unless you are in the locksmith business or some type of emergency service.
No reason a civilian should possess one but that’s just MY opinion.


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I agree with you 100% on this. Not only are they available on Amazon but they are priced so low that children can afford to buy them. But then I have used a coat hanger to open car doors when I or a friend locked the keys inside the car so I guess there is not much difference. You can't blame the tool, just the person who misuses the tool.

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Originally Posted by thill

Sorry to hear your truck got broken into, but happy you got your Garmin back!

If your theory is correct, hopefully the parents are successful in keeping their kid on the right side of the law.

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I can't see how it could be otherwise, as an adult thief would just throw it into the trash if he could use it or sell it. It took an effort and a risk to break into the truck a second time and return it.

The small tackle box that was stolen just had some brim hooks, some jig heads, plastic bodies, floats and weights in it. Nothing that valuable but something that attract a kid or teenager. The large tackle box setting next to the small tackle box had much more in it. I think an adult would have taken the large tackle box or the powerstation jumpstarter over the small tackle box.

If the small tackle box had not been stolen at the same time and not returned, I probably would have believe I had just thought it had been stolen. Even through I searched the truck three times for it after I discovered it missing. I know it is ridiculous but I just couldn't believe it had been stolen from the locked truck. I thought I must just be overlooking it so I kept searching the truck, the boat and the house for it.

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Originally Posted by ezgoing

I still find it hard to believe! I have never had a stolen item returned before this.

But now I have to find another reason to justify buying the gpsmap 1243 unit. After doing all that research for a replacement unit I was dreaming about hooking a huge computer monitor to the HDMI output of the 1243 unit and having the biggest fish finder screen on the lake. :Rofl

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If it would help you decide feel free to send the old unit to me and buy that new one :biggrin

We went fishing one night & when getting home noticed my buddys brand new trailer he had built was gone. WE got to looking pretty hard for it & doing a lot of questioning about it. 3 weeks later we went to the lake again & when we got home there was the trailer sitting in the drive way so we must have been getting pretty close to somebody thinking we were going to find out they stole it & they got nervous & brought it back. :biggrin

Or they had just borrowed it for a specific need but forgot to ask your permission before taking it. So after they finished what they needed the trailer for, they returned it to you but forgot to thank you for letting them use it. :Rofl

interesting that they stole it and returned it , might have been a wife behind the return thing , she might have went ballistic when she found out he stole it from that nice old man that just moved here and made him return it , :yikes :Rofl
possible scenarios are endless , maybe just regular old guilt set in and they couldn't bear to look at it in the pile of stolen stuff they been taking with the nefarious device they obtained ....:dono
maybe they tried to sell it and the potential buyer realized it was stolen and threatened to tell the law and they panicked and put it back ?nonono
or possibly Santa went down a chimney early and found it and returned it in the spirit of Christmas ....you just never know :highfive

Sorry, Ketchn, good try, but I still think it was a kid whose parents made him return it. :Rofl

But at least I now know it was stolen and returned. Yesterday I went to get the sd card from it to upload the latest update to it. Both sd cards were missing. Not a big lost as one was a 32 Gig card from WalMart and the second was a Joe Pool Fishing Hot Spots map that I bought for $25 from a site that maps Texas Lakes.

Since I would need a long drive to fish Joe Pool Lake I would not have been using that card much anymore. :Rofl

Glad to hear it found its way home. I’ve always been nervous about the security of my better gear when I’m not there to keep an eye on it or lock it up in the garage. God and Santa both work in mysterious ways.