HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) — The Hopewell Police Department has issued a warning to residents after investigating a string of incidents involving stolen or damaged heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units.
According to police, there have been eight incidents of larceny and two incidents of vandalism involving HVAC units over the past two months. Lieutenant Jacquita Allen of Hopewell Police said the vandalism incidents were simply attempts at stealing parts from them.
“What they’re doing is trying to make money. They’re scrapping them. They are taking components from the HVAC system and scrapping it at the local scrap yards or the recycling yards,” Allen said.
The suspects are mostly targeting vacant homes that families have put up for sale after moving out, they then sell what they rip off for scrap metal.
A local church was targeted for its HVAC units, at least one was stolen and another was damaged. Allen said investigators haven’t identified a suspect, and they don’t know if these incidents are connected.
“It’s not just here, it’s everywhere,” Allen said. “People are just trying to make a quick dollar.”
To help keep your HVAC units out of thieves’ hands, the police department recommends:
- Installing cages
- Installing alarms
- Installing surveillance cameras
- Keeping areas around HVAC units well-lit
“This will make it more difficult for thieves to operate undetected,” Allen said.
Police also recommend marking HVAC components with unique identifiers such as serial numbers or labels, in order to make stolen parts easier to identify and discourage future thefts.
Anyone with information relating to any of these HVAC-related crimes is encouraged to contact Hopewell Police at 804-541-2222.
