Gone are the days of hotwiring a steering column with a screwdriver. Today’s auto thieves rely on sophisticated tech to steal rides. But when an operation goes south, they still resort to some wildly desperate measures to avoid a jail cell. Case in point: a bizarre, botched heist in New York this weekend that ended with one suspect in handcuffs and another testing his luck in the frigid waters of a Brooklyn creek.
A Late-Night Operation Interrupted
The chaotic moment took place last Friday night outside the Kings Plaza shopping center in Mill Basin. At around 11:50 p.m., a security guard monitoring the Flatbush Avenue parking structure noticed a duo casing parked vehicles. After realizing a they were breaking into a car, the guard immediately contacted the local police.
By the time officers arrived on the scene, the suspects had already broken into a Honda and were actively attempting to do the same with a Jeep close by. The police moved quickly to intercept the crew, successfully detaining a female suspect, identified as 22-year-old Carlyne Hyacinthe.
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When the police ties searched Hyacinthe, they didn’t just find standard burglary gear. Alongside a pocket knife, officers recovered a key fob reprogrammer.
These electronic devices have become a massive headache for the automotive industry. Once a thief physically gains entry to a cabin, they can plug a reprogrammer directly into the vehicle’s diagnostic port. Within minutes, the device clones the security data onto a blank fob, allowing the criminal to start the engine and drive away as if they had the factory keys.
While officers secured the high-tech hardware and handcuffed Hyacinthe, her partner decided against surrendering. Instead, the unidentified male suspect bolted toward the eastern edge of the parking lot.
Rather than jumping a fence or hiding in the shadows, the man threw himself directly into the dark, freezing waters of the Mill Basin Inlet. First responders, including specialized FDNY water rescue units, quickly locked down the shoreline and launched a search of the creek. Despite the massive coordinated effort, the aquatic escape artist completely vanished into the night.
While the swimmer managed to evade capture for now, his alleged accomplice is facing a laundry list of serious charges. As she awaited arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Saturday, authorities confirmed she had been booked for criminal trespass, possession of burglar’s tools, weapons possession, car theft, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.