Keeping one’s community safe is as much about good neighbours as it is good locks.
That’s the feeling of one Milton man, who’s mighty grateful for the quick actions of his fellow Woodward Avenue residents during the recent attempted theft of his truck.
The car horn of Jason Smiley’s 2023 Toyota Tundra initially sounded at 4:06 a.m. on May 31. Not seeing anyone around when she looked out the window, adult daughter Taylor figured an animal had triggered the alarm and returned to bed.
Five minutes later, the blaring started again – and the culprit was clearly no animal.
“She saw two guys trying to break in; one guy was already in the vehicle and the other was circling the vehicle, so she started banging on the window and yelling to wake me up… ‘Dad, someone’s trying to steal the truck.”
Smiley immediately called 911. Unbeknownst to him, his neighbour across the street – Jaime Ramirez – had already done so just moments earlier. Like Taylor, he investigated both alarms but saw nothing out of the ordinary with the first one.
Halton police arrived within three minutes, but the would-be thieves were gone, having fled southbound on Dixon Road in a four-door sedan.
No sooner did Smiley begin speaking with officers than Ramirez’s next-door neighbour, Mike Orteza, was outside sharing footage of the incident.
Smiley’s own Wifi cameras had been ‘blocked’ for at least part of the attempted theft.
Shared with police, Ortez’s video shows two hooded people running from the truck, which had its sunroof smashed to gain entry and the box to the computer on the driver’s side ripped apart.
Further footage suggests the suspects had 'cased' the area for two nights prior to the theft attempt.
“I was really impressed. They (neighbours) sprung into action. And the police were amazing,” said Smiley, who had a Highlander stolen in November 2022 and chose the Tundra because hybrid vehicles aren’t usually sought after by thieves due to their low resale value in many other countries. “This shows the importance of community action in crime prevention and the positive outcomes that can arise from such incidents.”
Halton police media relations officer Ryan Anderson confirmed the attempted theft, adding that a Dodge Ram was stolen from a home on James Street that same night.
While Smiley didn’t know his two impromptu guardians beyond saying hi until that memorable morning, he and a number of longtime neighbours have looked out for each other’s properties for years – believing the informal network has proven effective in keeping the area safe.
The truck theft attempt prompted him to take safety measures a step further. He’s now signed up for Neighbourhood Protect and will be setting up an online neighbourhood watch page for his community.
“Collectively, we’re just going to spread the word and have people look out for each other,” said Smiley, who encourages his fellow Miltonians to establish similar neighbourhood networks. “The best defence is a good offence.”
That’s sound advice in a region where car theft has risen about 24 per cent in the past year.
In Milton, there were 193 reports of theft or suspected theft in the first five months of 2024.
Halton police offer the following precautions to minimize the risk of becoming a victim.
- Park your vehicle within a locked/secure garage;
- Lock the onboard diagnostic port using a simple device (that can be purchased online) that blocks access to where thieves reprogram the vehicle’s key fob;
- Use a steering wheel locking device;
- Lock your unattended vehicle at all times;
- Never leave spare keys in your vehicle;
- Never leave spare keys outside of your residence;
- When not in use, place vehicle key fob inside a radio frequency;shielding bag/pouch to block cell signals;
- Equip your vehicle with an alarm;
- Consider purchasing a quality video surveillance system and ensure your cameras are properly placed and functioning for 24-hour use;
- Invest in an aftermarket global positioning system (GPS) tracker as it may assist in recovery of the vehicle if it is stolen.