14-year-old arrested for Sheboygan auto thefts, police looking for 2 more suspects

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WBAY) - Sheboygan police say they arrested a 14-year-old for car thefts and they’re still looking for two suspects.

Police got a break overnight Thursday when an officer tried to make a traffic stop at 2:21 A.M. The car kept going, then the driver and occupants abandoned the car at Evergreen Park. Police later found several people who they think were involved nearby.

The owner of the car wasn’t aware yet that their car was stolen earlier that morning.

While investigating this car theft, police learned the 14-year-old Sheboygan boy and two other juveniles were involved in another vehicle theft on the city’s north side last Friday, July 29. Police know who the other two juveniles are.

Police say in both cases, the cars had a “push to start” ignition that’s activated by a key fob -- and the key fobs were left inside the vehicles.

“These are crimes of opportunity,” the Sheboygan Police Department wrote in a statement. “Until residents build the habit of locking their vehicles and removing any keys or key fobs, or anything else of value, Sheboygan will continue to experience these types of opportunistic thefts.”

Both thefts happened on the city’s north side. Police officers are going to be taking a closer look in the targeted neighborhoods, doing visual inspections of vehicles to look for unlocked doors, keys or valuables in plain view, and other factors that might make the vehicle a target for thieves. If they find an issue, officers will leave a card on the windshield to make the owner aware of it.