LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville man says his car was stolen from the Highlands neighborhood in the middle of the night, and he believes thieves used a cloned key fob to do it.
Andy Westberry’s security camera shows what happened to his 2018 Infiniti Q60. Around 1 a.m., someone approached the vehicle. Just a few hours later, before 5 a.m., two people jumped in and drove off. It all happened in seconds.
Andy Westberry says his car was stolen from the Highlands neighborhood in the middle of the night, which was caught on his security camera. He believes thieves used a cloned key fob to do it. (WDRB photo/July 22, 2025)
“My wife started saying some colorful four letter words — the car is gone,” Westberry said.
He believes the thieves snapped a picture of the car’s VIN number, then returned with a cloned key fob to steal the car.
“Somebody snapped a picture of the VIN number and came back with a new fob and took off with the car,” he said.
Louisville Metro Police have warned that Dodge vehicles are top targets for thieves. But Westberry drives an Infiniti — and said investigators told him that brand is on the radar, too.
“The detective that I spoke to said Infinitis and Nissans are also on that list. It may be that Dodges are just a more prevalent car,” he said.
LMPD’s community crime map shows more than 425 car thefts have been reported across the city in the past month, with most of them inside the Interstate 264 corridor.
In Kentucky, it’s illegal to cover your VIN number, leaving drivers with few options to protect themselves.
WDRB News asked LMPD why certain car brands are targeted and what steps people can take to secure their vehicles, but did not receive a response as of this writing.
For Westberry, this wasn’t the first time his family was affected by crime. In June, within just 12 hours his car was broken into and his security cameras captured the sound of gunshots outside his home in broad daylight. The month prior, someone stole expensive tools from his contractor’s truck in the middle of the day.
“It’s probably about $30,000 worth of theft ... it’s a dumpster fire,” he said.
Now, he’s considering moving his family to the suburbs.
Although many recent vehicles have been stolen by thieves who made new key fobs, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said most of the cars reported stolen in Louisville were left unlocked.
"Far more cars are stolen because people leave their keys in their car," Humphrey said in a news briefing on July 23. "They leave the key fobs in their cars. They leave guns in cars. They leave their cars unlocked. That is a far bigger issue than the key fob re-keying."
Humphrey said the stolen cars are often taken for joyrides or used in crimes before being sold for scrap or abandoned.
Police urge residents to report any suspicious activity especially if someone is seen taking photos of vehicle VIN numbers by calling LMPD's anonymous Crime Tip Line at (502) 574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's Crime Tip Portal by clicking here.
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