24-Hour Super Thieves – Part II

For those who didn’t have the joy of reading my last column, .

Thanks to all who commented on that story, including Troy, the VP of 24-Hour Fitness, who clarified that the gym actually does have security cameras in the parking lot. Turns out one of those cameras caught the thief who stole my car.

I learned several interesting things about recent thefts at the gym that might interest fellow Super Sport goers:

*Mine was one of two cars stolen at the gym on Aug. 27.

*Earlier that same week, a thief broke in to the men’s locker room, cut locks and stole backpacks with valuables from several members on the previous Tuesday and Thursday. Police ended up catching him, and he shared that he actually broke some of the cheaper locks that members had purchased at the gym with his bare hands.

My big news is that the police found my car. It was abandoned at a Shell station in Hayward.

The day after she stole my car, she tried to change the email address associated with my bank account. I closed my accounts, alerted authorities and purchased extra anti-fraud protection insurance, yet, still I wonder what her next move will be.

When I went to see my car recently, I discovered she left a backpack in my car that wasn’t mine. It was filled with lots of mail that appeared to have been stolen from a variety of people.

The detective on my case told me she used my card to call a jail … but that it would take them months to subpoena records to find out who she was calling.

“People think we can just dust a car for fingerprints and use DNA to find thieves," he said. "But the DNA labs are backlogged for murder cases … we don’t do DNA testing for car thefts. Real life is nothing like CSI.”

Real life is nothing like Gilligan’s Island, either, I’ve found, but I digress.

The woman who stole my car must have had some anger issues. She slashed the leather seats and dashboard, which the auto repair guy told me would probably end up costing more to fix than the car is worth.

I haven’t received the final blow from my insurance yet, but looks like it's close to being considered totaled … and that I’m not likely to get what I paid for it three months ago.

I still love 24-Hour Fitness Super Sport, though admittedly, it’s been hard for me to go back there to work out.

I’ve learned that thieves like to break into locker rooms late at night because there aren’t that many people around to catch them. As I mentioned in my last column, the best thing would be to carry your valuables around with you in your pockets or in a fanny pack.

But after I work out, I like to go to the steam room or take a swim or hit the whirlpool – you can’t take a fanny pack to any of those places. I asked the detective, “What are we supposed to do if we can’t lock our things in the locker rooms?”

He suggested:

*Store your things in one of the lockers outside the locker room. Thieves are much less likely to target locked lockers located where people are working out.

* Don’t leave your valuables in the car. Leave them at home or carry them with you.

I’d like to thank the manager of the 24-Hour Fitness Super Sport gym for coming in to the gym on his Sunday off to watch the security cameras, helping officers identify the thief who stole my car.

They haven’t found her yet, but thanks to those cameras and the manager's help identifying her, they know what she looks like.

Thanks to all who sent me their best wishes.