Surveillance cameras at a Houston dealership caught a Ram TRX brazenly driven off the lot in the middle of the day, right under the noses of staff and customers. The high‑performance pickup slipped out from an active sales floor as business rolled on, and the footage has since ricocheted through dealer groups and online car forums. For local dealers already rattled by a wave of bold, high‑dollar thefts, it is one more sign that the problem is not slowing down.
As reported by Yahoo Autos, the video, captured on the dealership’s own security system, shows the TRX simply being driven away during normal business hours. The Auto Wire story notes that the truck’s base price clears the $70,000 mark and that this kind of rare, high‑output pickup is exactly the sort of prize organized theft crews look for. The report did not indicate whether the vehicle was quickly recovered.
Houston’s growing truck‑theft problem
Local reporters and law‑enforcement officials say the Houston metro has been getting hammered by high‑value truck thefts in recent months. FOX 26 Houston tallied nearly 100 stolen trucks across the area and cited investigators who point to tech‑savvy, organized rings rather than joyriding teenagers. In testimony to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, a Houston Auto Crimes Task Force lieutenant warned that “Houston crooks don’t respect jurisdictional boundaries” and described using license‑plate readers and other tools to chase down stolen vehicles as they move through and beyond the region.
Why the TRX is a prime target
The Ram TRX checks just about every box on a thief’s wish list: it is rare, extremely powerful, and expensive. That mix makes it especially attractive on the black market and, as Yahoo Autos notes, it is the kind of high‑value inventory dealers treat as a centerpiece. Modern keyless‑entry systems have opened up new angles of attack too. Relay gadgets and signal‑cloning devices can be used to unlock and start some vehicles in a matter of seconds, the Los Angeles Times reported.
What owners and dealers are doing
Dealers, spooked by incidents like this one, are rethinking how they secure pricey units on their lots, especially overnight and during busy daytime hours. Owners of high‑end trucks are being urged to stack multiple layers of protection. Consumer advocates and security coverage recommend tactics such as stashing key fobs in Faraday pouches, using old‑school steering‑wheel locks or hidden kill switches, and adding discreet GPS trackers to help locate a vehicle if it is taken, according to Consumer Reports and industry reporting…