East County News Service

Feb. 26, 2026 (La Mesa) -- The La Mesa Police Department is sounding the alarm to the community about rising thefts of recent models of Jeeps.

The police department shares that residents in La Mesa as well as surrounding East County neighborhoods need to be informed of a sophisticated spike in vehicle thefts targeting high-end, newer-model Jeeps.

They say that thieves are pivoting from traditional "smash-and-grab" tactics to high-tech electronic hacking that allows them to drive away in a stolen vehicle in under three minutes.

The primary targets are 2020 and newer Jeep Wranglers and Jeep Rubicons.

Unlike older theft methods that involved hotwiring or physical damage, tech-savvy criminals are using portable electronic devices often marketed as locksmith tools to bypass security. By accessing the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic port, thieves can communicate directly with the car's computer.

Once connected, the device "tricks" the vehicle into thinking a new key is being programmed. Within moments, the thief has a fully functional electronic key fob, allowing them to start the push-to-start engine and drive away without ever having the original key.