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'I Don't Feel Safe In This Neighborhood Anymore': Tire Thieves Targeting Honda Vehicles Creating Stir In Northeast Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Car owners are waking up to find their tires and rims gone in Northeast Philadelphia. Police are working to get the thieves off the street before they strike again.

These thieves are targeting newer Honda vehicles. According to police, they're striking in the middle of the night and hoping to sell their stolen goods on the black market.

"I don't feel safe in this neighborhood anymore," one resident said.

When the demand is high, criminals will find a way to cash in.

Unfortunately, these thieves are victimizing Honda owners whose vehicles aren't parked in a garage.

"You come out in the morning, you're working everyday, living paycheck to paycheck, and you come out, you have a nice car. You come out and find your car on soda crates," Philadelphia Police Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum said.

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That's exactly what happened to one Northeast Philadelphia resident who asked not to be on camera but described how she found her Honda Pilot on Friday.

"I was waiting with my kids to go to work. I found my car sitting on those blocks so I called Philadelphia police and they came and did a report," she said. "I don't know who did it but they took the three tires out."

That's $750 a tire. The repairs will cost nearly $2,300.

The victim only had liability insurance, so she will have to foot the bill, something she won't be able to do anytime soon.

"I just don't want to replace it right now because I feel like if I replace it right now and they come back for it and then I'm going to feel so sad," the woman said. "Because money is kind of tight and it gets so expensive."

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About 60 Honda drivers have been targeted in the Northeast since mid-December, but it's a crime spree happening across Philadelphia.

"We're trying to educate the public, trying to prevent this from happening. It's a sad state of affairs for people living paycheck-to-paycheck," Rosenbaum said.

The vehicles that were targeted were all parked in public places, and most of these drivers do not have alternative places to park.

If you know who may be be responsible for the crime spree, give Philadelphia police a call.

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