It only took a thief a matter of minutes to steal the tailgate of a Ford truck in Tampa.
Captured on video, a man methodically disconnects the back-up camera, unhooks two cables and shortly after he walks away with the tailgate of a 2016 F-250 Super Duty Platinum Series tailgate.
"Woke up about 9:00 a.m., opened the garage, truck is backed up to the garage and the tailgate is gone." Rich Weatherby said.
After checking his surveillance footage, Weatherby saw just how easy it was to pull off the crime. The man, who covered his face, freed the tailgate in near silence.
"I was actually still awake inside of the house. And I have a big dog inside. None of us heard anything."
Weatherby said.
The part he stole is worth nearly $3,000. It turns out, thefts like it are rising across the country. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB), the rising costs of parts is fueling overall car thefts which grew by four percent last year.
The NCIB lists tires, rims and tailgates to be some of the most common items stripped from vehicles.
