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Pima County is experiencing a rash of smash and grabs and other thefts at trailheads.

They have happened at the following Trailheads that I know about:

Sombrero Peak TH, AKA Scenic DR TH
Dove MT Resort TH for the Tortolitas
Sweet Water Trail TH for Wasson Peak. Official Name is something Spanish, but this is the trailhead I frequently hike Wasson Peak from.
Reports of East Side National Park THs

Time is broad daylight, 9:30 AM to whenever. Do not park at Trailheads without security in Pima County. I would not park at ANY County run TH until further notice. What is security? Not the Sombrero Peak TH, or Sweet Water TH, for sure. Take all valuables out of the car, if you do.

https://www.newskudo.com/arizona/tucson ... -break-ins
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/p ... -break-ins

I am often the only car at a trailhead when I leave.

A SUSPECT:
My car was smashed into today.

I left the Trailhead at 9:30 AM AZT, checking my watch right as I left my car. I always do this when I head out for Sombrero.

By 10:33 AM, as reported by USAA occurring at 1233 Central Daylight Time, the criminals were attempting to make fraud charges at Frys Grocery Store 3 to 4 miles away at SilverBell and Cortaro. They then made a 3rd attempt at Sally's Beauty in the Walmart Plaza off Cortaro. Sally's states the transaction was canceled after the card failed to transact at 1245.

Sally's employees described the criminal as Hispanic, average Build and wearing a Harley Style Mask. Mask for Covid enable crime, so thanks!

I do not know where the criminal came from. Based on the times for when the transactions were attempted and distances from the TH tell me that they broke in some time from 09:35 to probably 10:15 or so, maybe 10:20.

A man on a Harley style motor cycle was at the TH when I was, and I am very suspicious of him. He left right before me, hiking trail and and turned left at the first junction. He was alone, dressed in dark pants, dark shirt which I remember as long sleeved, and had a light beard, and sunglasses. He also had a military Camo-print back pack. For temps as hot as they were, he was not dressed the way I would expect. Marana PD may be able to pull Fry's and Sally security video, but the criminal had a mask on at Sallys. I am sure he did at Fry's.

I had nothing valuable visible in my car. My metal bottle was off to the side and not visible from outside, but it was left behind. My spare sneakers and sandles were in back, as was a straw hat. My open wood box of about 40 CDs was behind my seat, and it was left. The only valuables were what was taken, which was locked in my glove box, not in plain sight at all. My car still would have been smashed and my center console torn apart, and glove box torn apart exactly the same. It is a fallacy to suggest that simple precautions would have prevented that.

Weird. Am I the only one who went to bed as a grown pumpkin adult but seem to have woken up in middle school?

Jim_H wrote:Alston: I guess you have been waiting to make a forum dig at me since: [ Hikers Attacked At Gateway Trailhead ]

Do you feel good? I bet you do. You side with crime. You victim blame now, and you side with murders and drug addicts. That speaks volumes about you as a person.

I had forgotten about that thread, but I'm happy it still lives with you. I side with crime and murders and drug addicts? No that speaks volumes about you as a person.

“ My open wood box of about 40 CDs was behind my seat, and it was left.”

The thief probably wasn’t interested in K Pop or Bad Bunny.

@Pivo Wow do people still play cd’s in a car?

@Jim_H These criminals are more organized than they used to be. I got lucky at the Sonoran Trailhead. Three cars in a row were broken into The third car had out of state plates and the woman had her purse under the seat but they found it. And really that’s what saved me because those people left to use her credit cards before she could report them.

@RowdyandMe Or at home?

@RowdyandMe
Organized and brazen, with no fear of law enforcement. The Tortolita's TH at the Ritz might be on private or town of Marana Land, but every other TH around the Tucson Basin is run by Pima County, and as James/ Spiderlegs will tell you, they have no officers to patrol those locations. So, it's a very easy target. Being in Tucson City wouldn't be any better, since they have almost no police.

Carrying a gun, which I fully support, wouldn't matter, because they're passive aggressive and will just smash your windows once you leave. My car would still have been smashed as nothing was visible, and they went through the center console looking for anything they could find. Napkins were all that was there. I have no deductible, but I am still wasting a lot of time dealing with the window replacement.

As far as this happening to someone else who will never read this thread, it is a matter of when, not if. Getting back several times after dark from Wasson Peak, I am lucky this didn't happen one of those times as there was a decent amount of broken glass in that lot in early August. I have not seen any at Sombrero Peak's TH, but it is gravel.

Wade sent me these photos. This individual looks very similar to the criminal using my cards at Sally's Beauty yesterday. If you see a man like this at a trailhead, well, call 911. Mark, grow up. Get off the drugs. Seek Help.

Jim_H “Grow up”? I am not the one listening to K Pop and Bad Bunny.

Since TH break ins have become a problem, I will be having this security film installed when I return to Tucson. There seems to be a number of competing products.
[ youtube video ]

@Pivo
I have a similar film installed on my house windows (I’ve certainly never tested it), but never thought about the same thing for car windows. I suppose there are pros and cons to consider— hindering emergency aid being a big one, and the fact I rarely leave my vehicle unattended with anything of value inside, but still interesting to consider.

@Jim_H
Crime pays. We know what the solution is.

@RedRoxx44
Hot useless air

@sidhayes
Of course! But you don't know me----:)