On Aug. 4, the Houston Police Department announced the arrest of the two men. Michael Armando Arce, 24, has been charged with one count each of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and felon in possession of a weapon. The second man, Jesse Irvin Zelaya, 22, faces a single count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
According to the police, all the cars believed stolen by Arce and Zelaya were made by Fiat Chrysler; Jeep Wranglers, Dodge Cherokees and Dodge pickup trucks. It is alleged the two initially gained access to the cars by finding the doors unlocked. Once inside the vehicle, they would use a laptop to hack into the car’s computer system using pirated software. The software allowed their own fobs to be used to drive the vehicles. The thefts occurred in the middle of the night and the stolen vehicles were driven across the border into Mexico usually before the owner noticed his or her car was missing.
Houston police had noticed an increase in the amount of theft of Chrysler vehicles but did not get a break in the case until April. A surveillance video surfaced that showed a man opening the door of a Jeep, getting behind the wheel, and then using a laptop until he was able to start the jeep. The HPD received a tip from the Department of Homeland Security that had noticed a large number of Chrysler vehicles crossing the border. Members of the HPD began following Arce and Zelaya. On Friday, police say they caught the two in the act of stealing a jeep. As well as weapons and body armour, police recovered electronic devices, keys and other tools used to steal the cars.
It is believed more than 100 vehicles in the Houston area have been stolen in this manner.
Berj Alexanian, a spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in Michigan, said the alleged thieves had access to the database of codes used by dealers to program key fobs. Authorized repair shops and locksmiths also have access to this database and it is believed someone with legitimate access to the database sold the codes to criminals.
Although the database is national, Alexanian is unaware of this type of theft occurring outside the Houston area.
Houston Police Department spokesman, Officer Jim Woods said unfortunately there is not much vehicle owners can do about it. No matter what precautions owners take, there will be someone with the knowledge and ability to hack into the computer system and steal their vehicle.
Investigations are being conducted by the Houston Police Department and FCA. The Department of Homeland Security and border agents are also investigating the case because of the number of stolen vehicles crossing the border.
Although FCA says they work hard to protect the integrity of the computer systems, as vehicles become more sophisticated and more common, there will always be someone who is able to hack into the system. It is expected this type of theft will increase in the future.
The investigations hope to uncover whether Arce and Zelaya were the only two involved or whether they were part of a larger criminal enterprise. Arce remains in custody while Zelaya has been released on a $500,000 bond.
