Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association - Forums

Hey everyone, be aware that my brother Steve had his car broken into on Monday 3/24 in the MAIN LOT AT VALLEY GREEN, coming from Roxborough side. THese professional scumbags broke into his Toyota 4Runner and all they did was take 2 credit cards from his wallet, and they locked the car. They didn't take his laptop or anything else!?!?!! He called the credit card when he realized it, about 2 hours afterwards, and the scumbag was actually at CIRCUIT CITY trying to by $2400 worth of stuff!!!!! I guess these people think that you will not notice until it's too late and they hope to buy shit with your cc's. I really hope I find one of these guys trying to get into my car as it will get very ugly!

Ironically, it was me in another post just this week that I was telling everyone that VG lots are safe! Well, I never had a problem so it's true for me I guess...

Chit!!! Makes me wonder how many times my car has been in and re-locked along with countless others...
Makes me glad that I drive in more more rarely and able to ride in.

dz

 I've parking at Kitchen Ln. lately, it seems a little safer then Bell's Mill & Valley Green.

You know, as much as I've heard this happen you would think the cops could set up and catch them pretty easy.

Maybe we should do it?  Send Neil after them with a chainsaw and chaps....    ;D

Just when I was getting all psyched to ride on Sunday someone suffers a break in.  I dont think I was going to park at Valley Green, most likely at Livezey but still.  I'll have to completely empty the car n saturday night and try to keep it clear for the summer  :o

As part of Trail Ambassadors we had a training session with park rangers and they opened our eyes on some of the issues with the police.
Not the least of them being that often their radio communicatoin does not work well in the park, so they are somewhat hessitant about venturing out here. Yeah, not very comforting...  :-\

I had brought up that issue of the break-ins during that session and am trying to stir something up with rangers and hopefully police, so maybe something will come out of it.

dz

PS When I do have to park there, I try to employ few lil tricks, like trying to park under the street lights, in the most exposed part of the lot, closer to the FD not to the creek, on the VGI side not Wises Mill side, etc...

I've read about break-ins at Valley Green at length at mtbr.com and refuse to park there anymore.  I usually park in a neighborhood on Wises Mill Road (other side of Henry) and ride down to VG from there.  Here is at least one of the threads on the subject.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=319261&page=2&highlight=break+in+at+Valley+Green (http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=319261&page=2&highlight=break+in+at+Valley+Green)

Someone was saying that VG is a safe place to park but I've heard of break-ins continually. One friend's daughter lost her passport right before a big trip. This has been going on for many years and it's cost many thousands in damage and loss, not to mention the nightmare of dealing with it. I wish the Inn would set up a couple of outdoor wireless cams for those two lots (I think they have wireless internet now).

But we've also had people park down there for years on weekly rides who've never had a problem, so go figure? The bottom line is:

A coworker and fellow biker's daughter's car was broken into in that same lot.  She had gone out running and had locked her purse in the trunk.  The thieves were apparently watching from the woods, broken the window, popped the trunk and stole the purse.  Wish there were surveillance cameras out there.  Maybe we can set them up as a PMBA project.  At least we should be watching out for suspicious behavior.  That's a great place to steal stuff because it's so easy to get away.

Total bullshit really, considering this is mostly a low crime area of the city.

Maybe we can use PMBA funds to buy the police a radio repeater to install at valley green so they have no excuses?   :-\

I'd love to stage something where an ''easy victim" places a purse in a trunk.  When the baddies open the trunk, they also get me with a videocamera, tazer and pepper spray.   Yup.  Good times and good utube footage.  I bet I can get them to soil themselves.  The rightfull owner of the purse will need a code knock so she doesn't get the treatment. 

Karl

LOL. That would be awesome.

Maybe we can get the deer snipers to take on the car thieves.  That would dissuade them!

I like the part when they 'soil themselves' - classic Karl!

I love it.. I would participate in the sting operation.   I have a brand new little league bat that needs breaking in.. 
I'm sure they were staking out the situation either from the parking lot just sitting in their car or in the woods.  They watch for someone getting suited up for ride and then prob. wait for like 10 min or so till they are gone and coast is clear.  I've been parking at VG for years and haven't had a problem.. but like 5 years ago I got broken into there.. guess the guy is out on parole an back to his old tricks.  I got lazy and came from work and left shit in my car which is a big no-no.   Next time when coming right from work I'll park in a neighborhood and ride in - good idea.

-steve

I know this is off topic, but Fish....you have a great quote under your avatar.

Response:

........."Comanche Indian."

This has been going on for a long time and i even suggested a sting on the mtbr forum.

These guys are tag teaming with circuit city. Everytime I hear that a credit card is stolen from somewhere at wissa, its the same old story of them trying too and even succeeding at spending it at circuit city.
I had mates who all had their credit cards stolen and nothing else. Left wallet behind to give them time  to spend money on their credit card.
They are even more cunning when they place fake replacements back into your wallet and you dont even notice until a week or so later.

A sting would be sooooo unreal.

This year FOW with FPC will continue rewamping the VGI area and parking lots. One of the next improvements will be replacement of the lights at the Rox side parking lot. I had inquired if VGI has net access now, and it does. I had also planted the idea into their heads, while mesing with running new wiring and electricity for the lights, to install cameras, either tied into VGI net access or just a closed loop security cameras.

A couple of cameras on the light poles with a few subtle signs "Look the camera is watcihng you" might just do the trick.

I will continue reminding folks at FOW and FPC about that problem and this idea.

dz

Nice Dmitri - I think the cameras are an awesome idea and prob. not too expensive.   

Rico - your answer is CORRECT.    Only a person who's watched Fletch at least 10+ times would know this answer.  A true classic if there ever was one.

Yeah, great idea dmitri

THAT SUCKS! I'm on board w/the web cams in the parking lot idea.. How'd they get passed the alarm? Was this a nighttime break in?