Vehicle break-ins across Pittsburgh area linked as suspects jam doorbell cameras, police say

Police across several Pittsburgh-area municipalities are reporting car break-ins and believe they are connected. According to officials, the usually helpful doorbell cameras have been rendered useless in this case.

Many doorbell cameras work off Wi-Fi. Suspects are allegedly jamming the signal, making your camera useless.

Oakdale police said over the past several days, there have been numerous car break-ins. This has led to some things being stolen. 

Nearby McDonald has had the same problem.

"We constantly get this from people who leave their wallet or gun in the vehicle, and then they are stolen, especially the guns. Then [the guns] are recovered and used in a crime of violence," McDonald Police Chief Tim Motte said.

They had a situation where an unlocked car had two sets of keys in it. That car and another car were both stolen.

"One car was recovered in Canonsburg. The other car was recovered in Monessen," Chief Motte said.

A third car was found on Monday after being reportedly stolen from Chartiers Township, Washington County. Officers believe these are connected.

In a Facebook post, Oakdale police are warning people that the suspects are carrying cheap jamming devices to make the doorbell camera inoperable.

Investigators are trying to remind people that these are crimes of opportunity. So, doorbell camera or not, you should lock your doors, don't leave valuables in a car, and park in well-lit areas.

"Even if someone jams your camera, it's still in the light, and maybe someone else's camera across the street can be working," Chief Motte said on Monday.

What you can do to stop someone from jamming your doorbell camera includes using one that has an SD or microSD backup. Also, use cameras that connect through a a more reliable Ethernet cord, so they're not connected over a Wi-Fi signal.