Stolen Airstream, 22ft Sport - Las Vegas

[r carl]

Originally Posted by FishByFly

Several years back, I had my locked and alarmed f250 stolen from a busy active parking lot at the Chicago convention center. It was during the Boat and RV show. The lot was a pay-to-park lot with attendants taking the fee. The lot had security cameras and a security patrol car. The weekend result was eight F250s stollen from the lots during the show. Police jumped on the cases gathering fingerprints and surveillance footage. Truck was recovered within 24 hrs gutted. Police just haven’t located the folks responsible.

Any idea how they started the trucks?

[Ray Eklund]

Trip Advisor review 4-28-2013 (This is one of the two possible RV Parks.)
There are 332 Reviews on www.tripadvisor.com.

Stolen bike high crime area RV Park

While staying at the RV park on my 5th day some piece of S!!5T came by and stole my bicycle. I thought Sam Town had better security because of the razor wire, but they leave the front gate wide open and the back gate open. I noticed that others on this site complain of stolen items too, Sam town knows it has a problem with theft around these Rv sites that why they have bike patrols but I have only seem them twice. They say every hour but don't believe them. I talking with the security he admitted that theft is a big problem here and I would not recommended at all staying here at all. All they have to do is post a guard at the gate at night.
On follow up I talked to a patrol officer with the Las Vegas cops and he said they have had numerous complaints about theft at the campground and many problems in that area around the RV parks.
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Room Tip: Stay away from this RV park, it is in a bad area with lots of theft and crime. I believe you are in danger for your life if you happen outside in the RV park at night
Stayed: April 2013, traveled solo

[AtomicNo13]

Update, just got a call from my friend Victor. he has been in communication with a detective for the city of Las Vegas Police, and I guess they're very serious and interested in pursuing this theft. I guess they're interested in talking to me to find out what I know about theft in the AS community. Called and left a message for him.

I also learned this occurred at Sam's Town. Lesson learned.

[OTRA15]

Thanks. Guessing that this is the right RV park FYI:

https://www.samstownlv.com/stay/rv-park
https://koa.com/campgrounds/las-vega...camping-sites/

. . . although Sam's Town has a bunch of sites apparently, but not sure if the others include RV parking? You might check so we can be accurate.

Do you know which "lot" they were in? Apparently the "North lot" near a busy street, and does not seem to have as many good reviews IMO:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...as_Nevada.html

Ray's recent post has more info, which he dug up before AN13 ID'd the park!

Peter

[AtomicNo13]

Just spoke with a detective from LVPD. Seems like they are very interested in investing in this case.
I thought about posting a reward...
A case of Walbernize, Acryl R, a Discount Tire Gift card, and a box of Band Aids... Nobody other than us will understand the significance of such a reward!

[AtomicNo13]

I'm trying to take Victor into buying a new Nest for his wife...
In his broken English he says no, I want another Airstream!

[Ray Eklund]

[QUOTE=OTRA15;2160443]Thanks. Guessing that this is the right RV park FYI:
******
OTRA15... you are right. I suspected this immediately as the RV Park.

The other Casino to the north, Arizona Charlies, which had been promoting their RV Campsites is a higher standard RV Park at the Tucson Rock Show some years ago. It was a lot more per day than Sam's Town. We do not come to Las Vegas to sit around the RV Park... so had used Sam's Town RV Park before KOA took control.

Sam's Town has 10 times odds on their Craps Tables... I like that as a Craps Player.

Sam's Town RV Park has had KOA run it for some years. These photos are in April 2014. I add some photographs.

It is not a Resort RV Park, but has amenities. Boulder Highway on the west side, Casino on the north side, Housing on the east side and the East Side Cannery Casino parking lot to the south.

Someone had a bicycle stolen while we were there. Some seem to be living there with the amount of stuff sitting around their trailer/RV in 2014.

Sam's Town Casino is a mid level locals Casino. The East Side Cannery a bit more upper scale. But both take care of their players. We have not been there since we built a home in Boulder City, but you will notice on one photo we SECURED our trailer.

I do not leave my wallet laying on the Craps Table chip rail... either. Las Vegas attracts pan handlers, like myself... to millionaires, like AtomicNo13.

I secure our trailer in our RV Garage. I secure our trailer in the National Forest. You... get the idea.

If you look at the layout, a long RV or Trailer is going to be stuck somewhere it may fit. This was our 2006 23 foot Safari. Anyone's 25 foot and shorter trailer will have no problem fitting. This RV Park is probably built at a time when a 25 foot anything was RARE.

I tried to be fairly reasonable when thinking about all of this. I struggle to understand the situation. There are always lots of 'eye balls' walking and sitting outside under trees here. Someone may find out if any trailers have been removed by anyone but the... owner in the past year or five.

I never saw strangers wandering around. Or traffic that did not belong to a trailer.

I had no doubt which RV Park it was. A five day price could be negotiated down at the KOA office. I always saw security peddling around on the bicycle. I would say hi and they did not follow me around, as we had been there a week and knew us by sight.

Nancy is 'walking the Heelers'. Anyone jumping this wall would have a much 'higher voice' AFTER attempting this. The bike thieves would toss the bike over the wall and a buddy would be there to peddle off into the night. Hey... you have to think like a thief in order to protect yourself. The rest of you... get with it.

[cvh]

If they decide to replace it, we are selling our 2014 Sport 22ft which is in prime co edition with lots of extras.

[OTRA15]

Have you posted a classified ad for it? That is encouraged here IMO.

http://www.airstreamclassifieds.com/

Links above. You have to register again, but I think the same user name and password will work.

Peter

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

....
By the way, monster bolt cutters will cut any chain, there is a weak link. ...

Not the Pewag 10 mm (but if I were repurchasing today, I'd buy the 12 mm). Website:

"Cannot be cut with bolt cutters…square link shape does not allow bolt cutters to get a proper bite, which prevents them from cutting the chain..."

There's a vid on YouTube where someone used a "monster bolt cutter" called a Krenn 49 and still could not succeed in cutting that chain. Well, a Krenn 49 is a $200 bolt cutter. What are the odds of a thief having that quality of tool in his possession? I suspect many of them bought lower (or stole lower). And they'd still fail if they had that model.

The larger Pewags CAN be cut with one particular power tool - a specific type of cordless grinder (a saws-all won't do it). But what are the odds of a thief showing up to a populated location and getting away with that kind of activity (deafening noise, sparks flying everywhere)? If you've got 5 minutes to spare, this video demonstrates why that's not likely to occur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3VTyNGPuVo

[Ray Eklund]

How are the ends of the Pewag Security Chain secured? It is the weakest link in a chain I would look for. The locking mechanism. A 'professional chop shop' or fencing stolen high value items, are exactly that... professional. Amateurs... now that is another option.

What if you insulted a fellow resident at the trailer park and they take a toothpick and stuck it into the key entry and broke off the section that did not? Then what? A locksmith can do wonders... but sometimes someone with a grudge could present difficult situations.

I am being the contrarian, so work with me.

A bicycle chain locked with a combination lock is better than NOTHING. But... can be improved. My 1967 High School combination lock... 6 - 8 - 14.

If a Loan Shark (aka Business) has been stiffed by a client who needed the money to purchase, lets say a trailer, they would not be concerned with exposure or time it would take to remove the security device. Removing the trailer when empty of occupants, would be less than ten minutes...? Five if they already noticed no locking mechanism?

We are making many assumptions. Was there some form of hitch security used? Trailer taken during the day? Where were the residents? What did the neighbors notice?

We have absolutely Nothing to go on, for our curiousity.

- Owner parks trailer at RV Park.
- Trailer is Stolen.
- Nothing.... please help these victims...

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

How are the ends of the Pewag Security Chain secured? It is the weakest link in a chain I would look for. ....

That is an excellent question. There are two ways to secure the ends:

(1) Pewag makes its own locking devices in which the locking bar is actually shielded by the un-cuttable chain links themselves. It is a rather ingenious design. Pic at end of post.

(2) In the same spirit, our Pewag reinforcement chain has ordinary heavy padlocks on it, BUT, in order to get AT those locks, a thief would have to cut away something else first, which would be too time-consuming.

This is easy to accomplish because a hand can manipulate its way into a space much smaller than bolt cutters require. One end of the chain is embedded in the hitch carrier itself, the other in the chassis. In order to maneuver bolt cutters into position on either of those locks, it would be necessary to lift the entire van at least a foot off the ground first. The van is too close to the ground to accommodate the long handles of bolt cutters, in other words. The angles of attack don't work for bolt cutters - there's not enough clearance. And the areas where the locks are inserted... the open void spaces in which they are situated have diameters that are smaller than the diameter of grinding wheels. The locks are shielded by surrounding infrastructure.

[Baby Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

That is an excellent question. There are two ways to secure the ends:

(1) Pewag makes its own locking devices in which the locking bar is actually shielded by the un-cuttable chain links themselves. It is a rather ingenious design. Pic at end of post.

(2) In the same spirit, our Pewag reinforcement chain has ordinary heavy padlocks on it, BUT, in order to get AT those locks, a thief would have to cut away something else first, which would be too time-consuming.

This is easy to accomplish because a hand can manipulate its way into a space much smaller than bolt cutters require. One end of the chain is embedded in the hitch carrier itself, the other in the chassis. In order to maneuver bolt cutters into position on either of those locks, it would be necessary to lift the entire van at least a foot off the ground first. The van is too close to the ground to accommodate the long handles of bolt cutters, in other words. The angles of attack don't work for bolt cutters - there's not enough clearance. And the areas where the locks are inserted... the open void spaces in which they are situated have diameters that are smaller than the diameter of grinding wheels. The locks are shielded by surrounding infrastructure.

I am intrigued by these chains, but what exactly are you locking with them, the wheels to the chassis? I'm trying to picture where I'd use them to good effect on my Airstream. Thanks.

[FishByFly]

Originally Posted by r carl

Any idea how they started the trucks?

r Carl, the locks were punched in, alarm goes off, and steering column broken. Video surveillance showed it all.

First question police asked, and then my insurance company, was did I leave the keys in the truck. Nope; In my pocket. Of course, the video proved my response.

[FishByFly]

Fast and apparently an easy steal. I think of this often when traveling. Sure would hate to be hitched up and on the road to loose both the truck and trailer. We thought with all the security measures, broad daylight, and in a busy parking lot we would be safe.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

There are a lot of disk cutters out there. They make an ugly chop through the metal, but the do it quickly and easily. They may make a mess of the stuff nearby but I doubt that is a big concern to a crook. For added fun, take a look at what happens with your super metal if it's dunked in liquid nitrogen (it's not hard to get) and hit with a hammer.

You will indeed take care of the casual passerby who didn't plan ahead. If you are dealing with a pro, he's bought one of your magic gizmos. He's attacked it with this and that in his garage. He already knows what the weakness is before he packs for a "visit". He's also told all of his buddies what the "right" approach is so they don't have to figure it out themselves.

If somebody decides to get cute with your lock, all it takes is a squirt of glue. Once that sets up, you have a major problem ....

There are no perfect solutions, only tradeoffs.

Bob

[FishByFly]

When my truck was stolen, they took the key to my airstream. I have to cut and replace everything. I’m not a professional thief and was surprised at how easy it was for me when I came prepared.

[MattLinda]

Thanks for the heads up. Will check our coverage. Being a trailer and all, I’m curious as to what insurance company would stipulate that. Sorry for the loss.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by FishByFly

r Carl, the locks were punched in, alarm goes off, and steering column broken. Video surveillance showed it all.

First question police asked, and then my insurance company, was did I leave the keys in the truck. Nope; In my pocket. Of course, the video proved my response.

What can be done in our defence, a hidden fuel shut off?

[Dickandvicki]

I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to have my AS stolen! With today’s technology there must me some sort of GPS tracking devise that can be placed inside the AS? Even more horrifying is the thought of my beloved pups being inside!