Car radio thefts return in Palermo: thief arrested after smashing a car window

Last Updated: September 1, 2023

In Palermo, thieves are targeting parked vehicles and stealing car radios to sell on the black market for immediate cash. This type of theft, reminiscent of the 80s and 90s, is on the rise in the city, with a recent incident caught near the Mediterranean Fair, where a young man was caught red-handed. In broad daylight, he smashed the rear window of a parked Alfa Romeo on Thaon di Revel Street, removed the radio from the dashboard, and was about to escape. However, the carabinieri of the mobile unit noticed the act and immediately arrested him for aggravated theft. Similar incidents of petty crime have been on the rise since the beginning of the year, with radio thefts reported in Zisa, Mondello, and near the central station. Just a few months ago, a woman’s car, parked in a disabled parking spot near the Civico hospital, was looted, and upon her return, the car radio was gone.