Brazen thieves target vehicles in broad daylight
Joe Fantauzzi

Air bags are designed to save your life during a vehicle crash.

They are also a prized commodity on the black market and an item some people go to great lengths to steal.

An air bag thief will most often carry a screwdriver, cutting tools and sockets to rip or cut a bag out of a car, York Regional Police Det.-Const. Stephen Beale said.

They are so in demand, thieves will steal them in busy parking lots in broad daylight.

As recently as the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007, the theft of automobile air bags was something police only occasionally encountered, according to Det.-Const Beale, a property crimes investigator.

A rash of thefts has since erupted and  police noticed an increase in the theft of air bags from vehicles in Markham’s residential areas at night, he said.

Investigators also noticed thefts in transit lots during the day, leaving hundreds of unguarded vehicles vulnerable.

“Toward the summer, it became almost a weekly occurrence,” Det.-Const. Beale said.

Air bags are linked to sensors designed to notice sudden stopping.

When activated, the sensor sends an electrical signal igniting a chemical propellant, which, in turn, produces nitrogen gas, inflating the air bag, Transport Canada said. The whole process takes place in less than 1/20th of a second, which is faster than it takes you to blink, according to Transport Canada.

Air bags can cause injuries when they deploy because they inflate so quickly and with a lot of force.

While often the injuries are minor, broken bones have been recorded. When the head or chest is against the air bag module when it opens, fatal injuries can result, Transport Canada says.

To that end, thieves involved in the air bag racket are putting themselves at risk — often to sell a bag for $200 to $250 to “chop shops” or less-than-reputable mechanics, Det.-Const. Beale said.

The cost of a factory air bag can run $1,500 to $2,000.

“It is a dangerous crime to commit as you risk the deployment of the air bag,” he said.

If a person buys a vehicle that was previously involved in a crash at an auction, it needs to be made “street legal” before it can be resold, Det.-Const. Beale said.

One of the most expensive repairs is the air bag and crooks will look to save money by popping in a stolen bag.

It is something you could encounter if you purchase a vehicle from a shady operation, the officer said, adding the average air bag thief is often someone with an automotive background affiliated with others in the automotive industry who buy stolen parts on a consistent basis.

Stolen bags are often not installed properly into other vehicles and may not fully function in a crash.

However, no need to panic.

Your auto insurance would not be void in the event of a collision if a stolen air bag were found to have been installed in the vehicle, said James Geuzebroek, the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s manager of media relations.

“The insurer would still pay for any damage covered under the policy,” he said. “However, the air bag would subsequently need to be replaced at the expense of the insured.”

The theft of air bags and stolen vehicles in York Region was back in the headlines last week after the arrest of a man already convicted of air bag theft-related offences and arrested in the aftermath of Det.-Const. Robert Plunkett’s death last summer.

Baseer Yousafzai, 24, his brother Mohammad, 25, and a 17-year-old were arrested in Unionville last week, when police swooped in at a GO commuter parking lot.

Last Wednesday, at about 2 p.m., plainclothes officers were investigating air bag thefts from vehicles at a Kennedy Road parking lot when they noticed three men acting suspiciously.

When officers approached the men, they fled in two vehicles.

The vehicles were stopped and searched. Tools used for breaking and entering were found, police said. The other vehicle was reported stolen when its owner returned to the lot and found it missing.

Baseer Yousafzai is charged with breach of probation, possession of property obtained by crime, possession of break and enter tools, three counts of mischief over $5,000, three counts of theft from a motor vehicle under $5,000, theft under $5,000 and theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000.

He was remanded into custody and is scheduled for a bail hearing tomorrow in Newmarket.

He was one of two men arrested at the scene where Det.-Const. Plunkett was killed on Ascot Crescent investigating air bag thefts in Markham Aug. 2, 2007.

Baseer Yousafzai was not charged in Det.-Const. Plunkett’s death.

He pleaded guilty last October to several theft-related charges, along with breaking the term of his probation.

He was sentenced to eight months in jail. When released, he was placed on probation for two years.

Baseer was scheduled to appear in a Newmarket court again Tuesday for a bail hearing.

His brother Mohammad was denied bail Monday.

The details of his bail hearing cannot be reported due to a publication ban.

Mohammed Yousafzai is charged with possession of break and enter tools, theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000 and two counts of breach of probation.

During the hearing, Mohammad, clad in a blue and white striped shirt, blue jeans, square thin-rimmed glasses and shackles, sat in the prisoners’ dock and occasionally looked around the courtroom.

A 17-year-old Toronto male, who cannot be identified, is also charged with possession of break and enter tools and breach of probation in connection with the Unionville GO lot investigation. None of the charges against any of the accused laid in connection with the GO lot investigation has been proven in court.

To avoid buying a car with a stolen air bag:

• Purchase your vehicle from a reputable dealer by doing a Better Business Bureau check on the company at www.ccbbb.ca;
• Ask the seller for the vehicle’s history;
• If a deal appears too good to be true, it probably is.

— York Regional Police and the provincial Ministry of Transportation