Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home

New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.

The situation unfolded outside a home in the Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue area in the early morning hours of March 9.

The surveillance footage shows an individual wearing grey pants approaching a black Jeep Wrangler parked in the driveway of the home. The person appears to briefly peer inside the vehicle before walking away.

Jenna, who lives at the house with her family, told CP24.com that they received a notification on their devices from their private security provider about the activity on their driveway at the time but didn’t think anything of it initially as there was nobody in sight.

CP24 is only identifying Jenna by her first name due to concerns about her safety.

About three hours later, shortly after 4 a.m., Jenna said that another notification came in on their devices with footage showing a person opening the hood of their Jeep and unplugging some fuses.

This individual is then seen jimmying the door lock on the vehicle’s passenger side before leaving the scene.

A short time later, the suspect returns to the vehicle in the driveway carrying some sort of tool. They are seen entering the Jeep from the passenger side and fiddling with the wiring behind the glove box.

By then the family had called the police, Jenna said.

“I think at that point they were trying to start the car,” she told CP24.com.

Jenna said that while the would-be thief was seated in her jeep another person was seen in the footage standing across the street “on the lookout.”

The suspect who was in the vehicle then appears to realize that the police are down the street and both suspects are seen running away from the scene while police lights are visible in the corner of the shot.

A suspect is seen attempting to steal a Jeep Wrangler in North York on March 9. (Supplied)

Police have since told CP24 that two individuals were ultimately arrested as a result.

Terrence Daferuru, 23, of no fixed address, and Sofia Zuniga, 21, of Laval, Quebec, are facing a combined 10 charges.

Jenna said that damage to the Wrangler was minimal, other than a broken lock on the passenger side-door. Fuses connected to the horn were also removed, presumably in an effort to disable the vehicle’s security features.

After viewing the video earlier on Wednesday, Toronto Police Supt. Steve Watts told CTV News Toronto that it appeared as though the suspect was attempting to disable the vehicle’s security system.

 

Auto thefts on the rise

News of the botched theft comes on the same day that police held an unrelated news conference to announce the recovery of 48 stolen vehicles valued at just under $4 million. Seven people are facing a combined 150 charges in connection with that investigation.