Thief rips airbag out of Chevy Trailblazer, leaves owner with $2K repair bill
By Randy Wimbley
Click here for updates on this story
DETROIT (WXYZ) — A thief broke into a brand-new Chevy Trailblazer in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood and ripped out the airbag — and the owner says the $2,000 repair bill is adding insult to injury.
A home surveillance camera captured the break-in, which happened just after 5 a.m. Tuesday as Sandra Busko and her family were in the middle of renovating their new home.
“So it’s very shocking to wake up to. I was kind of in disbelief,” Busko said.
Instead of putting that money toward their renovation, Busko is now paying out of pocket for the repair.
“I already put my deposit down for the repairs. They’re going to be $2,000 and I’m not going through insurance because Detroit insurance is insane already. And so I decided not to use my $1,000 deductible and just pay out of pocket, but that would have been $2,000. I could have used for renovations, so it’s hard,” Busko said.
The break-in follows the theft of an airbag from another man’s vehicle and the thefts of newer model Chevy Blazers covered back in April — capers that were also caught on camera.
In one of those earlier incidents, Keyonia Leveston’s vehicle was eventually recovered by police — but it had been stripped and the airbag was missing.
“I was like, wow. He got his Crocs in sports mode, and he’s taking my car, like what the heck. He doesn’t even care — he don’t even care to put on gym shoes. He can’t even steal it with class,” Leveston said.
Former Detroit Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt says black-market demand is driving the thefts.
“So when you lose your—like she lost her airbag, she’s going to go buy another one. She can go to a dealership, which is going to cost more, 2,000 bucks, OK, or she can come to me, an independent, yeah, retailer, and get it for whatever because I bought it from that guy on the street,” Dolunt said.
Busko says she hopes the Detroit Police Department increases patrols in the area and is interested in starting a neighborhood watch program. She also had a message for the thief.
“Detroit’s a beautiful city, and I just wish you could, you know, help bring it back and rebuild it rather than causing people who work hard and are putting their heart and soul into this to have to keep dealing with this kind of theft, and we already prayed for you guys,” Busko said.
General Motors released the following statement:
“We take reports of thefts very seriously. Protecting our customers and their property are top priorities for General Motors, and we continuously monitor theft trends and work with law enforcement, safety organizations, and insurers to understand and address evolving tactics used by criminals.”
Also, here are some recommendations for vehicle owners to better secure their vehicles:
We encourage all owners to take common-sense steps that meaningfully reduce risk for any vehicle: always lock the vehicle and remove keys and key fobs, park in well-lit and monitored areas where possible, avoid leaving valuables in plain sight, and ensure the factory theft-deterrent system is armed by locking with the key fob or keyless entry system.
Owners with OnStar should confirm their account is active and their Theft Alarm Notification contact preferences are up to date so they can be alerted if an alarm is triggered and then choose to work with law enforcement and OnStar if they believe a theft has occurred.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WXYZ verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.