Hollywood resident believes wireless device was used to break into locked vehicles

Cause of the break-in remains under investigation

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. ā€“ Sandy Fox thinks he knows how thieves broke into his two locked Range Rovers on Sunday.

"When I get out of it. I lock it and I come inside, and you could see that they put a device up to my car to unlock it," he said, referring to a surveillance video of the break-in.

That device Fox believes was used to break into his vehicles is called a scanner box, and it may have been used in a string of break-ins that took place in Hollywood over the weekend.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has video on its website that shows the device, which is about the size of a smartphone and can mimic a signal emitted by keyless entry devices.

"A criminal is a criminal, and a criminal mind will always come up with ways to commit the crime," Fox said.

Hollywood police have not been able to confirm that the device is how the thieves got into the vehicles, and the thefts remain under investigation.

Fox and Uvaldo Mencia, who was also targeted, said their neighbors have experienced similar break-ins.

"Sooner or later, Ā they're going to get caught," Mencia said. "My advice to them is for them to just cool off and go somewhere else."

As for what was stolen, Mencia said the thieves scattered his belongings throughout his neighborhood.

"What they did was, they just took all of the belongings away from the briefcase and the gym bag and they took off with what they wanted, which was the electronic, and all of my belongings were just spread out through the street," he said.

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