Thieves steal wheels from Fremont man's brand new car right from his driveway

FREMONT, Calif. (KTVU) - A homeowner in Fremont said thieves yanked all four wheels from his brand new car right from his driveway. It happened Monday morning on Margery Drive in the Irvington District after the homeowner left to go to work. 

He said the car is only a week old.

Robert Masters stares in disbelief at his neighbor's car with no wheels and no rims. He’s just learning they were stolen from his neighbor's driveway.

“For someone to be that brazen to do that near the dawn, early morning is shocking to me,” said Masters. 

His neighbor who owns the car did not want to be identified but said he left at 5 a.m. Three hours later, his wife was taking the kids to school and called him. She told him all four wheels from his 2019 Honda Accord were gone. He thought it was a joke but after she sent him a picture as proof, he wasn't laughing. 

He believes the theft happened between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and suspects the thieves watched him leave. He said the tires they took are Honda stock tires. He estimates the set is worth $2,000. 

He posted it on Next Door and found more victims.

One neighbor wrote, “It happened on a car next to Azevada Park last Monday. Is this a coincidence.”

Another neighbor wrote, “A couple weeks ago, the same thing happened to my cousins. They don't live far from you. Maybe 3 or 5 miles. Same kind of car, color.”

“It’s just the norm around here,” said Eduardo Loza of Fremont. 

Loza lives two blocks away and isn't surprised. The street sweeper said criminals have broken into his backyard and work truck stealing equipment several times in broad daylight.

Liz Ricketts lives across the street. She isn't surprised either. She was robbed a few years back.

“This is our neighborhood,” said Ricketts. “We look out for each other. For this to happen to our neighbor, it can happen to any of us.”

The Honda owner now plans to install wheel locks hoping it's a deterrent.

His home and neighboring homes have the Ring Video Doorbell. However, none of the cameras captured the culprits. 

Fremont police said they are investigating and said while wheel thefts are rare, they plan to have extra patrols in the area.