The Honda airbag thieves are at it again in Rhawnhurst. Police found the windows smashed on five automobiles in the area of 1800 Hartel Ave. early Monday. All five cars were Hondas. In three of the cases, the driver-side airbags had been removed from the steering column. The initial police radio call was broadcast as a “theft in progress” at 1:15 a.m., but the thieves fled before patrol cops arrived.
Detectives are still investigating a similar episode from March 1 when thieves broke into about 10 cars in the same neighborhood. During the Fox Chase Homeowners Association meeting on March 11, one police official speculated that the crooks may be creating their own market, as victims will be forced to have new (or pre-owned) airbags installed into their cars.
Police have not said why the thieves might favor Hondas. Monday’s targets included two Accords, a Civic and two CRVs. ••
