Police dealing with rise in ATV thefts

DAYTON, Ohio ( WDTN ) – Dayton Police have been busy investigating a major increase in stolen off-road vehicles listed for sale on social media.

Travis Kelly’s 16-year-old son who was looking to sell his four-wheeler was a recent victim.

“My son was trying to sell a 2012 YFZ450 racing four-wheeler on Facebook Marketplace,” says Kelly.

Kelly and his son live in Charleston, West Virginia.

“A person from Dayton, Ohio said that he wanted to buy the four-wheeler, but he didn’t have a truck and would pay my son $300 extra on top of the $6,000 sale price if he would deliver the four-wheeler to him,” describes Kelly.

On June 19, Kelly’s son, along with two friends, drove to Dayton to meet with who he thought was a potential buyer. He says they agreed to meet in the parking lot of Louise Troy Elementary School at 1630 Miami Chapel Road.

When Kelly’s son unloaded the four-wheeler off of his truck, the person asked to take it for a test drive, and Kelly’s son asked for the money.

“He reached into his pocket, and pulled out an envelope, and as he handed the envelope to my son, he jumped on four-wheeler and took off,” says Kelly. “And the kid just disappeared.”

The envelope was filled with papers. Kelly’s son and his friends tried to chase him but lost him. He then called 911.

Dayton Police Lieutenant Mark Ponichtera says these types of thefts are a major problem.

“We’re trying everything we can to inform the public about this situation because it’s prolific,” says Lt. Ponichtera. “Unfortunately, it’s a problem that continues from 2023 into 2024. Most of these transactions begin on social media.”

He says sometimes these thefts have even turned violent with people robbed at gunpoint.

According to Dayton Police, since the start of 2023, there have been 87 ATV thefts. That includes ones taken during break-ins and thefts from yards, but police say 70 thefts have been related to a sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Since the start of last year, 35 stolen ATVs have been recovered. Dayton Police have arrested eight people for those crimes. They say the thieves who are stealing ATVs are primarily juveniles or repeat offenders.

Dayton Police have safe exchange zones for people buying and selling to try and prevent thefts. There are four safe exchange zones located throughout the city at the different police districts, including 951 Washington Street, 417 East Helena Street, 2721 Wayne Avenue, and 248 Salem Avenue.

“There’s cameras. There’s just a less likelihood of this type of thing happening,” states Lt. Ponichtera. “If it doesn’t feel right, if it doesn’t feel normal, or if you get that hair standing up on the back of your neck, you probably should just drive away and hang onto your item.”

Police say if someone wants to take a vehicle for a test drive, hold the person’s ID or something like that for collateral.

“If somebody suggests to meet at a police station to do a transaction, and then the person on the other end says no I don’t want to do that, then perhaps that’s a red flag,” says Lt. Ponichtera.

Police say it’s a good idea for people to have the serial number and any ownership information in case their vehicle is stolen. That way, police will be able to more easily track it down.

Kelly’s son still has the title to the four-wheeler with the VIN number to be able to identify it. Since it was stolen, they’ve spotted it listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace multiple times.

“They had removed the stickers, the decals, stickers off of my son’s four-wheeler so that it would be kind of disguised from what it originally looked like,” says Kelly.

He says a neighbor on Kingsley Avenue in Dayton contacted him saying he saw a teen riding the four-wheeler in the area. They’re hoping to get the four-wheeler back, no questions asked.

“We wouldn’t even want to press charges or nothing,” says Kelly.

They have filed a report with Dayton Police, and they are investigating.

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