Thieves are targeting cars for their airbags

DEBARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - When you get out of your car, you take your wallet, phone, keys, lock the car, but you're still leaving behind something even more valuable to thieves.

A couple in Volusia County, Florida recently had the airbags stolen from their Honda Accord.  It happened in broad daylight, around 4 p.m., as they attended a mass at St. Ann's Catholic Church in DeBary.  They said wo other cars were stuck by burglars in the same parking lot.  

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the airbags, which go for about a thousand dollars new, are a hot commodity on the black market.

"They could be going to chop shops, you know, to unscrupulous auto dealers who put the bags in there, and there's a market overseas as well," he explained. 

In Osceola County, Florida, there were 14 cars hit on the same day, according to officals.

Investigators say the thieves tend to target certain cars, such as the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and various models made by Acura.  The thieves used a drill to bust the door locks and get into the locked cars.

Authorities recommend car alarms be activated when owners are away from their vehicles.