HOUSTON – Houston police confirmed another incident where a traveler said their tires were stolen while parked at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
KPRC 2 learned that in a span of days in the same parking garage on the same floor, at least two vehicles had their tires stolen. Stephen Janes and his family returned to IAH after their Hawaiian vacation to find their new truck on cinder blocks and the tires stolen.
“Honestly, I have no words for it. I mean, surprise,” Janes said.
Since our first story aired, KPRC 2 reporter Rilwan Balogun got an email from a viewer who said our web story was inaccurate-- not in any of the reporting, but the line in Houston Airports’ statement where they mentioned it was the first incident of that kind.
RELATED: Truck parked in Bush Airport garage found on cinder blocks with all 4 tires removed
“How could they say that this has never happened? And how could they say that, you know, they don’t have any records of this when it happened the weekend before,” the viewer said.
The viewer, who does not want to be identified, shared a picture of his GMC Yukon on cinder blocks. Houston police confirmed it happened.
“I got the bill from my dealership. I was shocked. It was $792 per wheel and that’s more than my aftermarket wheels. So, they definitely know what wheels are more valuable,” the caller said.
On Tuesday, an airport spokesperson told KPRC 2 that all parking garages are operated by a third party. They said they are reviewing surveillance video at the request of HPD. “I just hope these people are caught,” Janes said.
WATCH: KPRC 2 visited a local auto shop who showed us how quickly it takes to get tires off of vehicles
Houston Airports Communications sent the following statement to KPRC 2 regarding the recent thefts:
“A company named SP+|Global|IMS has a concession agreement to manage all parking facilities for Houston Airports through FY 2031. Houston Airports has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Houston Police Department to provide security at the airport, which includes all parking facilities. At the request of Houston Airports, SP+|Global|IMS has hired private security guards to supplement the Houston Police Department. Houston Police Department tracks incidents its officers have responded to at Houston Airports, just as they would any other crime in the city. For context, that’s why in Monday’s response to KPRC2, Houston Airports confirmed the private security guard reported an incident to Houston Police. Any cameras inside parking facilities are setup by Houston Police. You’d need to ask the Houston Police Dept. for more details. Houston Airports has cameras at the entrances and exits of each parting facility. Houston Airports will review that footage at the request of Houston Police detectives.”
