AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora small business owner is the latest victim of car theft as Colorado contends with the unwanted recognition of being the worst state in the country for this type of crime.
Colorado has been dubbed the car theft capital of the country, with more than 40,000 cars stolen last year alone. That marks a 10% increase from 2021 and most of the cars were stolen in the Denver metro area.
Those with the Aurora Police Department said they had a problem in the early 2000s with Ford F-250 and F-350 thefts, but those have taken a backseat to Hyundai and Kia thefts.
Still, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA) reports there were 1,159 F-250s stolen across Colorado in 2022, making it the 11th most stolen vehicle. There were 672 F-350's reported stolen last year as well.
Those with CATPA said certain years of the Hyundai Tuscan and Kia Sportage almost overtook the most stolen car in Colorado last year, which was a Chevy Silverado. Approximately 1,828 Silverados were stolen in 2022.
CATPA's Program Director Robert Force said it is very concerning when a commercial truck is stolen, since a lot of small businesses operate using that singular vehicle which has all of their equipment inside.
Jesus Tapia Lopez started his own landscaping business in 2015 called Tapias Lawn Services LLC. His 2005 F-350, which was the main truck for his business that could pull the trailer, was stolen early on Friday morning with around $2,000 worth of tools in the back.
“Working so hard to buy that kind of truck, and then in 30 seconds it's taken away from me, so that's not fair," said Lopez.
His neighbor's cameras caught the theft, which Lopez said he has reported to Aurora police. The truck is white and has a green logo with his company's name on the driver's door.
If anyone knows where the truck may be, Lopez encourages them to call the Aurora Police Department and report it.
