Suspects try to steal Dodge Hellcat in Berry Hill with unusual tactic
BERRY HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — According to the Highway Loss Data Institute, 25 of every 1,000 Dodge Hellcats are reported stolen. Some published reports indicate this American muscle car is stolen 60 times more frequently than any other vehicle.
The Berry Hill Police Department (BHPD) is working a stolen car case where the Hellcat that was taken had a broken starter and wouldn’t crank over, forcing the suspects to go to extreme lengths to steal the vehicle.
The theft happened around 6 a.m. on March 8. The suspects reportedly broke out the window of a 2020 Hellcat at an apartment complex, but when they couldn’t start the car, they pushed it down a hill and used a second stolen vehicle, a Chrysler 300, to push it to a more remote location about half a mile from the owner’s apartment.
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“It gets up there in top of the line,” said BHPD Sgt. Tony Russo. “It’s a pretty expensive car. It’s very sought after for these guys who are stealing vehicles.”
Russo told News 2 it’s not often that he sees thieves using a stolen car to push another stolen car.
In this case, surveillance footage shows the Hellcat coasting down a steep driveway. Then, since the electrical system was out and the battery was in the trunk, one of the suspects went through the backseat and popped the trunk from the inside.
On the video, you can see the trunk open and two eyes glowing in the infrared camera light as the thief emerged from the trunk and the Chrysler backed up to the stolen Dodge.
When News 2’s Andy Cordan asked Russo when was the last time he saw a criminal pop out from under a hood like a magic show, the sergeant laughed and said, “On camera, that’s the first time I’ve seen that one in a while.”
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The suspects allegedly tried to jump the battery, but they didn’t realize the starter was bad, so they eventually gave up and left the car.
A few hours later, police began getting calls about the stolen Hellcat and the owner arrived on scene. He was reportedly distraught about the broken window and even surprised that they were able to take it from his apartment complex.
“I thought they was gonna strip it and I was just like, ‘Man, this is gonna be the worst situation,'” the vehicle’s owner said in a police body camera video.
“They must have pushed it down the hill or something,” a member of the BHPD said.
“They had to because I knew it wouldn’t start,” the car owner replied.
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“I come to find out when the victim came to recover his car, he said, ‘I’ve been working on this for a while, too. It’s a bad starter. It’s not going to start at all,'” Russo added.
If you have any information about this incident, you are urged to contact BHPD at 615-297-4701.
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