Stolen Mavic 2Air in Eugene, Or

monteolsen1 · Jul 24, 2021

Hi all. It looks like theft of our drone is a common occurrence unfortunately. Mine was stolen on July 15th in northern Eugene, Oregon.

The thief was incredibly stealthy. He or she managed to cut a square hole into the front passenger door window of my pickup. He didn’t trip the truck ialarm, nor did he make any noise. My doorbell cam didn’t pick him up, either, and my son didn’t hear anything from his bedroom, which Is no more than 50 feet from the truck.

Would posting serial numbers of the controller and remote here or anywhere help? Any suggestions to track it down would sure be appreciated.

Be careful out there. (And I completely forgot I had left it in the truck. One mistake and bam!$

Monte

MAvic_South_Oz · Jul 24, 2021

..
Mongrel act for sure, hate thieving pond scum, thinking they can help themselves to others hard earned things.

Just curious . . . "managed to cut a square hole into the front passenger door window of my pickup"
What sort of truck, and if you know what sort of window glass does it have in it ?

Usually most vehicles have toughened / tempered glass in side and rear window glass, can't be cut without exploding into little pieces.
SOME (usually higher end Euro sedans etc) have laminated glass in side windows, but this is usually cut from both sides to trim down, and generally very hard to cut a hole in any shape even on a bench.

I don't think there is anything you can do with serial numbers etc, DJI might help if someone tries putting it in their name or sending in for repair, some here on the forum say they will, but I feel they wouldn't go to any sort of trouble.

Let the local pawn shops know about the theft, give them the numbers, ask them if someone comes in with a drone and controller (describe your whole setup, bag, extras) can they hold it and call the police and you.
Of course let police know about the theft and these details too.

Another avenue might be your aircraft ID on the drone ?
Permanent or sticker ?
Not sure if that would help in any way.

Maybe you have portable contents on the home content policy ?
This covers items when outside the home, such as in a vehicle.

monteolsen1 · Jul 24, 2021

Thanks for your reply. The right front window is in a Ford F150 FX-4, 2004 variety. It really shocked me that the thief was able to cut through the glass as well. It was almost a perfect square. Believe it or not, I didn't notice it had been cut as I got ready to go to work. When I shut the driver's door, the passenger window broke into all kinds of pieces and then caved in.

The guy who replaced the window from Safelite said thieves have discovered, according to him, that they can use the top of an old sparkplug, which is harder than glass, to cut into a window. This guy was like a surgeon.

It did have the FAA ID on the outside using a sticker. I'm wondering if I should tell the FAA about the theft as well? I will contact the local pawn shops and give them the info. I'm thankful for the DJI Fly app because all of that information (serial numbers, etc.) is in the app.

I've tried using the locate my drone part of the app, but nothing is turning up on a map. I was thinking that it would work similarly to locating a lost smartphone (like an iPhone) but maybe not

Needless to say, a new external camera is going up and facing the street to see if it can get video of any future incidents.

Thanks again!

Monte

MAvic_South_Oz · Jul 24, 2021

monteolsen1 said:
When I shut the driver's door, the passenger window broke into all kinds of pieces and then caved in.

The guy who replaced the window from Safelite said thieves have discovered, according to him, that they can use the top of an old sparkplug, which is harder than glass, to cut into a window. This guy was like a surgeon.

Cheers Monte,
Ah, it was toughened then . . . sounds like that surgeon had PLENTY of practice before he visited you

Way back in older windscreens, there was a safety zone where if a windscreen was shattered, there was still a clear spot for a driver to see through . . . though old toughened screens used to blow out anyway if going more than a very slow speed.
Like you say, amazing a hole of any sort was cut like that, and yes any sort of clean 'scratch' similar to a glass cutter can be used to cut glass on most types (normally toughened excluded).

Not sure if FAA number is of any help, a sticker would be removed first thing by a thief I'm sure.
Maybe some US based pilots with knowledge of how else you can try a recovery will post here.

I'd say pawn shops with a simple page with your info on it would be a prudent step, most of these opportunity thefts are for some quick cash for drugs or whatever.

Good luck, hope you miraculously get your drone back in good shape, or manage to find some insurance on it.

monteolsen1 · Jul 24, 2021

MAvic_South_Oz said:
Cheers Monte,
Ah, it was toughened then . . . sounds like that surgeon had PLENTY of practice before he visited you

Way back in older windscreens, there was a safety zone where if a windscreen was shattered, there was still a clear spot for a driver to see through . . . though old toughened screens used to blow out anyway if going more than a very slow speed.
Like you say, amazing a hole of any sort was cut like that, and yes any sort of clean 'scratch' similar to a glass cutter can be used to cut glass on most types (normally toughened excluded).

Not sure if FAA number is of any help, a sticker would be removed first thing by a thief I'm sure.
Maybe some US based pilots with knowledge of how else you can try a recovery will post here.

I'd say pawn shops with a simple page with your info on it would be a prudent step, most of these opportunity thefts are for some quick cash for drugs or whatever.

Good luck, hope you miraculously get your drone back in good shape, or manage to find some insurance on it.

Thanks my friend. I did have $250 coverage on stuff stolen from the truck, which they are going to pay. I need to check in with the provide (USAA) to see if our home coverage will pay the rest. I'm thinking it should. The good news is that my wife gave me the OK to replace it, which I'm doing. <Big Grin> Now, I just need to know if I have the cajones to buy a DJI 2S instead of the 2. (Yes, I do!)

G'day to ya.

db4476 · Jul 24, 2021

I would also watch craigslist, got my generator and chainsaw back a week later when the local police went to "buy it"... Lolz

Meta4 · Jul 24, 2021

monteolsen1 said:
I've tried using the locate my drone part of the app, but nothing is turning up on a map. I was thinking that it would work similarly to locating a lost smartphone (like an iPhone) but maybe not

Find my Drone can only show you the last location data your app on your phone received from the drone last time you flew it.
It has no connection to anything after that.

Steel63 · Jul 25, 2021

There nothing worse than a thief karma is a ***** they will get there's when you get your new drone get state farm insurance they cover theft and loss of drone . if it drops in the ocean it's covered .its $75.00 for the year no deductable good luck I'm sorry about your loss, GOD bless!

Dale D · Jul 25, 2021

monteolsen1 said:
Hi all. It looks like theft of our drone is a common occurrence unfortunately. Mine was stolen on July 15th in northern Eugene, Oregon.

The thief was incredibly stealthy. He or she managed to cut a square hole into the front passenger door window of my pickup. He didn’t trip the truck ialarm, nor did he make any noise. My doorbell cam didn’t pick him up, either, and my son didn’t hear anything from his bedroom, which Is no more than 50 feet from the truck.

Would posting serial numbers of the controller and remote here or anywhere help? Any suggestions to track it down would sure be appreciated.

Be careful out there. (And I completely forgot I had left it in the truck. One mistake and bam!$

Monte

kshaw · Jul 25, 2021

Since the MA2 needs to be registered and you have to provide serial number for registration, I would contact the FAA and discuss. Be sure to file a police report on stolen drone since that can help you with recovery or any tax loss you wish to claim. Since the drone is an aircraft, you can also ask the FBI if there is any help that they can provide. DJI has a system which is available to law enforcement that can track flights. I forgot the name of the system. Find the name and see if that can be used to find your drone.

Dale D · Jul 25, 2021

Being from Miami, most residents here have been drilled in the practice of not leaving anything visible in your car. Practically speaking, I never leave anything of value anywhere in the car. We are lucky in having an attached garage so when I get home, everything is taken from the car to the house. I know this will not help your situation, but perhaps practicing these hints will save others from the same fate.

RayKelly · Jul 25, 2021

monteolsen1 said:
Hi all. It looks like theft of our drone is a common occurrence unfortunately. Mine was stolen on July 15th in northern Eugene, Oregon.

The thief was incredibly stealthy. He or she managed to cut a square hole into the front passenger door window of my pickup. He didn’t trip the truck ialarm, nor did he make any noise. My doorbell cam didn’t pick him up, either, and my son didn’t hear anything from his bedroom, which Is no more than 50 feet from the truck.

Would posting serial numbers of the controller and remote here or anywhere help? Any suggestions to track it down would sure be appreciated.

Be careful out there. (And I completely forgot I had left it in the truck. One mistake and bam!$

Monte

POS thief needs to be arrested fast. Hope Police make an arrest and it is recovered for you.

hiflyer201 · Jul 25, 2021

Hope you recover it somehow. I know how you're feeling.

dave canada · Jul 25, 2021

monteolsen1 said:
Hi all. It looks like theft of our drone is a common occurrence unfortunately. Mine was stolen on July 15th in northern Eugene, Oregon.

The thief was incredibly stealthy. He or she managed to cut a square hole into the front passenger door window of my pickup. He didn’t trip the truck ialarm, nor did he make any noise. My doorbell cam didn’t pick him up, either, and my son didn’t hear anything from his bedroom, which Is no more than 50 feet from the truck.

Would posting serial numbers of the controller and remote here or anywhere help? Any suggestions to track it down would sure be appreciated.

Be careful out there. (And I completely forgot I had left it in the truck. One mistake and bam!$

Monte

I didn,t know you could cut all the way through safety glass duh but still most folks don,t know that little drone turns into grand larceny

GFields · Jul 25, 2021

Sorry for your loss. Hope you recover it.

D-Wreck BXNY · Jul 25, 2021

If you have homeowners or apartment owners insurance then they often cover items stolen within 50 miles of the house. So the theft from your truck would qualify.

monteolsen1 · Jul 25, 2021

Thanks all for your good wishes. You’re good thoughts are a real pick-me-up and I greatly appreciate them all. You all are proof of what a good world we live in. Thanks again. And I will take your suggestions to heart.

monte

Tankueray · Jul 31, 2021

Doesn't DJI make you register the serial number the first time you use the Fly app? Can you report it stolen to them to "lock" it like you can with a cell phone?
For future reference, if you become a member of AMA, they provide $1000 theft insurance, along with liability and medical insurance, and a free subscription to the UASidekick app, among other things, for $75/year: Academy of Model Aeronautics
You don't have to have a local club to be a member, but you can see if there's one near you here: Academy of Model Aeronautics (They might be some help finding your drone too.)

monteolsen1 · Jul 31, 2021

Tankueray said:
Doesn't DJI make you register the serial number the first time you use the Fly app? Can you report it stolen to them to "lock" it like you can with a cell phone?
For future reference, if you become a member of AMA, they provide $1000 theft insurance, along with liability and medical insurance, and a free subscription to the UASidekick app, among other things, for $75/year: Academy of Model Aeronautics
You don't have to have a local club to be a member, but you can see if there's one near you here: Academy of Model Aeronautics (They might be some help finding your drone too.)

Thanks for that great information! DJI pulls the serial number straight from the Fly app when you buy the extended coverage, too. That’sa great idea. I’ll see what they can do and report back. The FAA suggested removing it from drone registered to me when I contacted them. I did that.

mill also check out the AMA. It sounds like a good organization.
Thanks again for the great idea.

monte

Meta4 · Jul 31, 2021

Tankueray said:
Doesn't DJI make you register the serial number the first time you use the Fly app? Can you report it stolen to them to "lock" it like you can with a cell phone?

No, drones don't work the same way as a mobile phone.
They don't contact DJI when you fly.