This Southern California serial truck thief got a tiny shock of surprise when he spotted this in-car camera system recording his every move, but by the time he ripped the camera off, it was too late.

This Ford F-250 owner shared some shocking footage earlier this weekend (Apr. 2, 2019) of his pride and joy being actively broken into by a serial truck thief well known by local police in the So-Cal city of Lake Elsinore. Truck owner harvey Janisse released the video in hopes that someone would recognize him and inform police of his whereabouts. As mentioned, this is not the first time this miscreant, Christopher Marshall, has been caught. The video description goes into much more detail but Marshall specifically picks out early 2000’s Ford trucks to steal.

Check out the shocking footage for yourself below.

The description from the original video linked here goes on “to describe, 

“His Name Is Christopher Marshall here he is attempting to steal my 2003 Ford F250. He steals Ford F250 and 350 trucks he’s from the city of Lake Elsinore and is a well-known car thief. From what I understand he was just released from jail or prison for the same exact crime he also LED Murrieta Police Department on a high-speed chase in 2015 in a stolen F350. And was subsequently arrested for it let’s put him on blast and make this shitbag famous keep an eye on your F-series trucks guys if you see him call the Elsinore Police Department”

Armed with a pair of locking pliers and a window jimmy to gain access to the lock, presumably Marshall was able to gain access to this truck in seconds. Given a couple seconds more and without the prying eyes of a security camera, he could’ve easily started this F-250 and would’ve been well gone before the owner found out.

Unfortunately, there’s a simple reason these big Ford trucks are targeted, they’re easy to steal. Check out this news story from a local Fox affiliate describing just then and then watch this, in real time demo from someone on Youtube on how easy it is to defeat the ignition lock.

The Fox 4 news segment does give some good advice for Ford F-series owners like getting the right insurance, parking in well-lit areas, and securing your car as best you can, but sometimes good enough is not good enough.

A quick read through of this forum on Power Stroke Nation does give some better ideas like a hidden kill switch, using a remote start, and installing a Jimmi Jammer (an aftermarket metal plate that protects your key lock from potential thieves.)

In addition, an in-car camera, like this wireless camera repurposed for in-car security, is a great idea. Even though someone snatches a wireless camera, like this guy, the footage is already uploaded to the cloud for safekeeping.

As of this writing grand theft auto suspect Christopher Marshall hasn’t been caught. But now, with evidence of his sloppy work, it’s only a matter of time.

Do you own an older F-series like this owner or know someone that does? Any other tips and tricks for truck safety you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!

Source: Harvey Janisse