No tires, no answers for Madison Heights residents in string of wheel thefts

Tires targeted by thief in string of Madison Heights thefts

In Madison Heights, police say the reports started within the past couple days ? with three or four incidents in nearby apartment complexes.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Neighbors left with no options, no answers, and no tires, after thieves hit Madison Heights and surrounding communities.

The backstory:

The vehicles are left up on bricks with all four tires missing. The thefts are a headache for the victims and it hurts financially, too.

In Madison Heights, police say the reports started within the past couple days — with three or four incidents in nearby apartment complexes.

Investigators say it is an unusual spike.

One photo is from resident Kyler McCulloch — he says he left his vehicle at an apartment complex off Stephenson Highway — the next morning, he made the discovery.

McCulloch says he needs his vehicle for work, adding that the thief worked fast.

"When they showed us the video, the maintenance people at the complex, it was like five, six minutes," he said. "It was very fast. It was one guy by himself. He drove up fast, parked next to the car, took all four tires, popped them in his trunk, and drove off.

"I don’t have $2,500 to replace tires and rims on my car today. The only good thing he did, was leave lug nuts behind. But I don’t want those, because I don’t want anyone to ever steal my tires again."

Lieutenant David Koehler of Madison Heights police said residents need to be on the lookout.

"At this point there’s no suspects," he said. "We have a couple leads, but not a lot to go on. We’re just trying to tell people to be aware and keep an eye out.

"They do sell locks for your tires and rims. It’s a special light that goes on a tore. Be aware of parking and lighting conditions, and watch out for each other's cars."

You definitely want to keep your eyes open — it can be a crime of opportunity.

As for McCulloch, he did find some new wheels on Facebook Marketplace but says they’re pretty old. The silver lining is they have locking lugnuts.