A parking lot filled with cars atop a downtown parking garage on Dec. 11, 2013, in Houston. HPD data obtained by Chron details the days car thieves strike most frequently.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap/Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag
Houston car owners may want to think twice before leaving their vehicle unattended at night—and some days of the week appear to be worse than others.
Houston police logged 1,252 incidents of stolen tires, wheels, rims and other vehicle-related thefts during the first half of 2026, according to city records obtained by Chron.
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And while the thefts happened throughout the week, the data reveals some clear patterns.
Across that time frame, Mondays and Wednesdays averaged about eight reported incidents each—the highest of any day of the week. Incidents were mostly concentrated in the evening and overnight hours, with more than half—about 52 percent—occurring between 5 p.m. and midnight.
But the story gets more complicated—and more interesting—by the hour.
A car damaged after its tires were stolen at a southeast Houston-area apartment complex.
Molly Wilhelm / Chron
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The worst day overall: Good Friday.
A single spring day topped the list for reported incidents overall: April 3, which fell on Good Friday. The date accounted for 16 incidents—15 classified as ‘Theft of Motor Vehicle Parts or Accessory’ and one as ‘Motor Vehicle Theft.’
The busiest time was 11 to 11:59 p.m., when four incidents were reported. Another two occurred between 10 and 10:59 p.m.
Four reports—or 25 percent of the day’s total—were tied to ZIP code 77042 in Houston’s Westchase and Briar Forest areas. Two separate reports listed an apartment complex along Walnut Bend Lane as the address, one at 11 p.m. and another at 11:40 p.m.
The worst days and times varied by offense
Theft of motor vehicle parts or accessories
The overwhelming majority of incidents in the data involved vehicle parts rather than entire cars.
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The offense type with the most reports—about 89 percent of all incidents—was ‘Theft of Motor Vehicle Parts or Accessory.’ Those reports were spread relatively evenly across the week, though Monday had the highest number.
The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) defines the offense type as theft of any part or accessory attached to the inside or outside of a vehicle or necessary for its operation. That includes tires, rims, catalytic converters and more.
Monday had the most reports, followed by Friday and Wednesday.
Monday: 180 incidents.
Tuesday: 150 incidents.
Wednesday: 173 incidents.
Thursday: 166 incidents.
Friday: 176 incidents.
Saturday: 144 incidents.
Sunday: 125 incidents.
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As for time, about 35 percent of incidents in this offense category occurred between 8 p.m. and midnight. The busiest hour was 10 to 10:59 p.m., when 103 incidents were reported. That was also the busiest hour on Mondays, the category’s worst day.
Stolen cars
In 28 cases, the target wasn’t a tire, rim or other piece of a vehicle. It was the entire car.
HPD recorded 28 such incidents overall. Though far fewer than car-part thefts, Wednesdays were the busiest, with eight reports.
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Monday: 5 incidents.
Tuesday: 3 incidents.
Wednesday: 8 incidents.
Thursday: 1 incident.
Friday: 4 incidents.
Saturday: 3 incidents.
Sunday: 4 incidents.
Among the 28 incidents, the busiest time windows were 7 to 7:59 p.m. and 8 to 8:59 p.m., with four reports each.
Broken glass from a vehicle window during a Houston Police Department Special Operations Division simulation of a burglary of a motor vehicle as part of an awareness campaign to reduce burglaries and auto thefts in the city of Houston, at Memorial Park Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, in Houston. HPD recorded 29 car burglary incidents in the first six months of 2026.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspap/Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag
Theft from motor vehicle
HPD recorded 41 total incidents classified as ‘Theft from Motor Vehicle.’ Monday, Wednesday and Thursday all tied for the worst day, with eight reported incidents each.
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The NIBRS defines ‘Theft from Motor Vehicle’ as “the theft of articles from a motor vehicle, whether locked or unlocked.
Monday: 8 incidents.
Tuesday: 5 incidents.
Wednesday: 8 incidents.
Thursday: 8 incidents.
Friday: 6 incidents.
Saturday: 4 incidents.
Sunday: 2 incidents.
Of the 41 incidents, the busiest time was 10–10:59 p.m., with roughly 20 percent of the total falling within that window.
Burglary, Breaking and Entering
Out of all reported incidents, 29 were classified as ‘Burglary, Breaking and Entering.’ The offense was reported most often on Tuesdays, followed closely behind by Wednesdays.
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What sets ‘Burglary, Breaking and Entering’ apart from ‘Theft from Motor Vehicle’ is the unlawful entry into a building or other structure with the intent to commit a theft or felony, according to NIBRS. For example, these offenses could involve breaking into a garage or apartment building before stealing property from a vehicle.
Monday: 4 incidents.
Tuesday: 7 incidents.
Wednesday: 6 incidents.
Thursday: 1 incident.
Friday: 4 incidents.
Saturday: 2 incidents.
Sunday: 5 incidents.
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A car damaged after its tires were stolen at a southeast Houston-area apartment complex.
Molly Wilhelm / Chron
What month was the busiest?
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Overall incident reports were spread across the first six months of the year, though January and April stood out as the busiest, each accounting for about one-fifth of the total.
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February was the slowest month, according to the data, with 158 reports.