AUSTIN, Texas — Thieves are targeting more vehicles that are parked in the garages and lots around Austin's airport. According to Austin Police Department (APD) data, car thefts around the airport have become a bigger problem in recent years.
Two victims contacted KVUE who had their trucks – both the same style – stolen from the airport's lots on Monday, Feb. 26. A week later, there's still no sign of their vehicles.
Before her trip to Las Vegas, Amy Staino took a photo from her pickup truck, parked in the economy lot at Austin's airport. When she got back three days later, her 2021 Dodge Ram TRX was stolen.
"I grabbed the key and started hitting the panic button, and it was just quiet. And I could see the car that I had parked next to was still there," Staino said. "They said that the only videos they have are at the entrance ticket booth and then the exit ticket booth, and they somehow did not catch our license plate ever leaving."
Staino said she did not see any cameras near her parking spot in the economy lot.
In a statement to KVUE, an airport spokesperson wrote, "All parking lots and garages are equipped with CCTV cameras that monitor the operations 24/7. Airport and ABIA Parking staff assist Austin police with their investigations into crime at the airport."
"If that pole had had a camera, it was directly facing our truck and it would have caught whoever went up," Staino said.
Staino said APD detectives told her two other similar trucks were stolen that same day.
"They're after the motor, not just the trucks. It's the Hellcat motor that is in these vehicles that a lot of people like us want to have," Staino said.
From 2018 to 2023, APD said there were 230 vehicle thefts at garages and lots around the airport, with that number jumping by 80% in those last two years alone.
After all of this, Staino is concerned about safety, saying if her truck can be easily stolen, what's to say criminals won't get bolder?
"Human trafficking is a massive issue. We all know about it. And that is a prime target area because you could be snatched and leave, and you'll never be seen again. So that's what scares me the most," Staino said.
Staino said there are no leads on where her truck may be. Airport representatives say there is less than a 1% rate of theft, making the threat small, but it's an issue they take seriously.