Opportunistic thieves are making off with high-end wheels from dealer lots more than ever, but one Ohio man’s nighttime excursion at a General Motors dealer just cost him his life.
Employees at Ron Marhofer Buick GMC opened their Canton, Ohio dealership per usual on Saturday morning, not knowing that a 43-year-old man lay dead under one of their Yukons.
According to the Canton Repository, the man, identified as Richard E. Ritch, was killed as he attempted to remove the first of the Yukon’s wheels at some point the previous night. The county coroner’s office claims the SUV fell off the jack and impacted his head, crushing him.
In a gruesome twist, the dealership was open for hours before the man’s body was discovered at about noon. Sales manager Kyle Green said a sales associate only noticed the body when a vehicle blocking their view of the man drove away.
While the grisly discovery was “obviously shocking,” according to Green, the dealership stayed open and sales continued. The service department checked over the Yukon for damage. Likely, the new owner won’t have a clue of the vehicle’s brief, but shocking, history.
This attempted theft looks like a one-man crime of opportunity, but other dealers face organized teams of wheel snatchers.
In early June, a group of thieves worked for two to three hours stripping a San Antonio Cadillac dealership of its wheels. Dozens of vehicles were left on blocks following that theft, the second of its kind in that city in less than a year. The key target was full-size SUVs with 20-inch wheels. Police said the thieves came prepared with all the right tools, as well as a truck to haul away the loot.
Stolen wheels are usually offered for half price on the black market.
The KENS 5 report mentions another GM dealer wheel theft involving 45 vehicles in a San Antonio suburb the previous November. Similar thefts occurred in the Houston and Austin areas, including the removal of wheels from 50 Ford vehicles in February.
Atlanta dealerships, as well as private owners, reported a rash of wheel thefts in that city this year.
H/T to @SexCpotatoes
[Image: © 2016 Bark M./The Truth About Cars]
Thank goodness nothing of value was lost.
I see what you did there. You opined that a life has no value because the person attempted to steal some wheels.
Starting the month of August with a feel good story. Thanks, TTAC!
No one can accuse you of being inconsistent.
Nor you.
Occupational hazard! The guy obviously wasn’t using recommended procedures or PPE!
We definitely need some more ambulance chasers shaking down the jack industry. Should be banned, I tell you!
Those things are almost as dangerous as cruise control……
To avoid these kinds of tragedies, we need to stock safe jacks and jackstands at all auto stores, available for free, so that these poor souls won’t be forced to engage in risky behavior while they steal the wheels.
Free safe jack stands, no questions asked. Put them right next to the free hypodermic needles and other big city programs for big city problems.
Along with the suggested free safe jack stands, let’s ensure that a video camera is trained on those items, so that Law Enforcement and society as a whole will know what the perps look like and will later be able to identify them as such. In other words, they consent to have their picture taken in order to get free stuff.
Richie Ritch Sinks To New Low Underneath New Yukon
http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/winning6.jpg
Har har!
I must be turning into a Trump, but I chuckled when I read this.
Hillary just lost a voter.
“Hillary just lost a voter.”
Why would being deceased stop one from voting? It is practically an American tradition as old as baseball.
It’s the trolling comments like this from mtmmo that really pollute TTAC.
You either let it go, in which case casual readers get the idea that TTAC is a dumping ground for right wing hate, or you waste an hour with back-and-forth comments to refute this garbage.
Only a hypocrite would point out the Hillary post but not the originating Trump comment. Just because someone says something you don’t agree with doesn’t make it hate speech. The only hate is coming from you.
The irony escapes him…
It’s okay, it’s just natural selection. If you’re dumb enough to try to steal wheels in the dark, you have to deal with the possible fatal outcome of your jack failing. The most important question: what brand of jack was he using?
Cracker?
That would explain it. He was looking for the prize.
I gotta rhyme that ends in a riddle. What’s round on the ends, hi in the middle?
Are we not men?
Chicago! It’s Chicago, I bet.
Ohio. Old one.
Darwin is as Darwin does!
Chinese and Harbor Freight, Alex?
I’d expect that you are the winner. Now let’s tell him what he’s won…
“He wins a copy of our HOME GAME! Anyone can play!!”
Richie Rich’s brilliant criminal career squelches to an ignominious end
Squelches or scrunches?
Meth is a heckuva drug!
Something tells me this guy’s crew ran away like rats.
Christine?
The Lord works in mysterious ways. Whereas Darwin just gets to the point.
Definitely a Darwin award candidate.
COTD!
Seconded.
Not too long ago, TTAC ran a “Tee hee hee – I bought some wheels in a sketchy part of town” (that were probably stolen) story.
Yup. You must have a PhD, as i doubt any of the brightest here will make this connection.
I remember – it was for a Honda minvan…right?
And yeah…probably they were hot.
Don’t most new vehicles with alloy wheel come with factory lug nut locks? If so, how do these gangs defeat the locks so quickly?
I’ve pulled my share of wheels to access brakes, and can’t see how one’s head would be in the path of the wheel well if the car slipped of the jack when removing the wheel.
Usually wheel locks are a dealer installed accessory. Sometimes dealers add them to jack up the price of the car. My Lexus has them. I don’t know why these dealerships wouldn’t have them on these trucks with expensive wheels.
“can’t see how one’s head would be in the path of the wheel well”
See now, that’s exactly the kind of thing that 43 year old thieves don’t understand.
I don’t see how somebody can get crushed by an entire house but the Wicked Witch of the East found a way.
Come on. Let’s be honest now. Wheel thieves can get through wheel locks in 30 seconds. They stop the unprepared thieves, but if someone is going to a car dealer to steel a truckload of wheels and tires, they probably have ways of getting past wheel locks.
They do. They also have ways of removing wheels that don’t involve keeping your head under the SUV.
If they are pro’s then they should have scored a master set for whatever brand or brands they prefer so all you need is an electric impact, some sort of (hopefully) impact socket set and a jack and at least decent observation skills and your on your way to being a top notch wheel thief.
Barring the master set they do make accessories that can defeat most wheel locks out there and if your the budding wheel thief you can make do with a cheap socket set and hammer provided you can hammer a socket over the wheel lock and wrench it free.
There’s only a few patterns to the locks, and I’m sure resourceful folk of this ilk (at least ones smarter than this Candy Crush example) would probably have access to a complete set for all the major makes.
I think there are some “quick and dirty” ways to rip off the lug nut locks.
It’s not hard. I lost the key to my locks once, took it to my tire dealer and he had all four off in a few minutes. Couple years later I did it again, and used his trick to get them off myself. Not real difficult to do, but you do ruin a socket.
Based on my recent shopping experience, the wheel locks (if optioned) are usually stored in a little baggie in either the glove box (Ford), or the trunk (VW), until the car is sold. In some cases, they are nonexistant (Dodge).
Maybe Richie’s locking lug nut removal tool rolled underneath the truck?
“Just a little farther… I… can… almost… reach…”
The tools for biting into the outer surface of locking lug nuts are fairly common. Also very good odds that the key for the wheel locks is in the glove box.
An SUV fell on top of him when he was trying to steal the wheels? That’s Ritch!
He wanted it wheel bad.
I wonder if the sales department figured out what monthly payment he could afford? “We can put you in this car today for $100/month payments with our new 1200 month 20% financing!” We just need to run your credit report first and we might need a co-signer.
Talk about a crushing load of debt.
You guys are knocking them out of the ballpark!
Guy was too tired to do proper work!
Here’s another not-so-great Richard Rich:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rich,_1st_Baron_Rich
The wheel stealer should have tried swiping copper from live wires instead.
Shocking!
Big wheels are more trouble than they are worth…they weigh more, increasing wear on suspension components, they are more easily damaged, tires cost more to replace, the ride quality usually suffers, and someone always wants to steal them.
But they are sooooo koooool (say it in an Eric Cartman voice)
Whoa, take it easy with the common sense there, mate. Yukon/Suburban/Tahoe owners don’t care. It’s gotta look blingy, no matter what.
Wheels gotta be dope, yo. You’re not supposed to think about silly things like what it will cost to replace/fix if a giant wheel gets bent. Or what a set of tires will cost. I guess that’s why Sailun and Starfire tires exist.
People dropping $70k+ on an SUV don’t care if they have to replace a wheel or tire every 4 or 5 years due to damage. If that group of buyers cared about keeping future repair costs low, Range Rover wouldn’t exist and Land Cruisers (tall sidewalls, super reliable) would sell more than 2000 units a year in the US.
Additionally, even on the 22″ wheels, the Tahoe still has 1.5″ more sidewall height than my FR-S on stock 205/45-17. The Tahoe’s overall wheel/tire diameter is 32″ stock versus my FR-S’s 24″.
People dropping $70+k on an SUV don’t care… people who drop $7k or $1.7k don’t seem to care either…
To each their own.
Amen to this.
In what alternate universe is something BIGGER more easily damaged than something SMALLER?
One where tiny bullets go through large people.
They are assuming that factory wheels are as thin and fragile as chintzy aftermarket jobs, and that isn’t true.
Buying a set of no-name 20s from a low-class tire dealer is not the same as getting factory-style wheels produced for manufacturers.
Manufacturing wheels involve tradeoffs in strength, weight, and cost. Techniques range from forged (best) to cast (cheaper).
Factory wheels aim to be reliable, so they are strong, favor a smaller size and aerodynamics for better mpg, but weigh more. Racing wheels are light and strong and cost the most. Large blingy wheels are not as strong to keep costs under control. Large blingy wheels also tend to have tires with very little sidewall and thus, have less protection from pot holes and curbs.
— McCoy
When you make the wheel larger, the tire sidewall becomes smaller. Now the wheel is much closer to that pothole.
As for factory wheels, I’veseen plenty modern factory wheels bend here in Michigan. My wheel guy makes a killing from straightening them.
Wheels are unsprung weight. One thing they won’t do is wear suspension components more rapidly.
Yes, I get the ‘serves him right’ angle of the story, and I have to admit that his parents gifted him with a ridiculous name.
But I just see a big waste of life. By 43, he should have figured out how to be of service to his community and to make better decisions. Just sad, really.
VoGo – agree. That is the really tragic part of this story. A wasted life ends in a wasted fashion.
+1 to VoGo and Lou_BC
+1 to all three of you.
Who can fault the poor fellow, he obviously had been forced byThe Man to make the choices he’d made and to take the path he’d taken. It is quite sad.
Virtue signaling signifying absolutely nothing.
apparently, every statement involving empathy now requires criticism from the Trump brigade.
@VoGo – like leader like followers.
“A feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or pain, of being “out of sorts”, often the first indication of an infection or other disease.”
You may be more on-point with your choice of adjective than you intended, unfortunately.
Such is every dead criminal. But the world goes on.
“apparently, every statement involving empathy now requires criticism from the Trump brigade.”
And there it is, EVEY thread this clown comments in he has to mention Trump.
How much rent does Trump pay you to live inside your head?
No no, it’s obvious that he meant it was Obama’s fault, which of course, it is.
At best, the thief should be honored with the Darwin Award, bestowed posthumously. He certainly doesn’t deserve a handful of old hens clucking about a tragedy that only exists in their minds.
I was also thinking Darwin Award.
How else would you award a Darwin award to a dead guy? I guess you could invent a time machine and go back to when he was still alive. That is also problematic because he most likely hadn’t disabled his ability to reproduce prior to dying, though, which would disqualify himself from being a Darwin award candidate.
Non-dead people get Darwin awards for just that: surviving, yet removing their ability to reproduce.
Anybody know if Ron Marhofer is actually still around, or just a name on the front?
I bought a car from him personally back in 1982 when he had a small Chevy store in Stow Ohio.
Nice guy.
And that was the last time Richie Ritch and Slippery Jack did a job together. As the song goes, “Yukon’t always get what you want.”
“But if you try sometime, you just might die, gettin’ what you nee-eed.”
You two nailed it with a 1 – 2 punch!
Just like the bumper of that Yukon.
Good thing he didn’t try to steal the wheels of a Cadillac ELR otherwise he might not have been found for months.
If Cadillac used name like I think they should he would be found sooner if it were Coupe D’lec.
Perhaps the buzzards circling might have given things away, since the car would probably be a three-minute drive from the showroom, as the golf cart putters!
I’ve driven past local dealers where wheels have been stolen. Pick up tailgates are easy prey. Years ago a local Ford dealer lost a few dozen in one night. The local Ram dealer was frequent prey for diesel cats before they switched to DEF. Another popular theft item are DVD systems in mini-vans.
Moral of the story? Always use jackstands.
When you have to decide between a quick trip to Harbor Freight or some more meth, meth is always the correct choice!
Meth is ALWAYS the corr… hey, what the?!?!!
Do the meth..MATH!
Everything turns deadly in Ohio. It seems like Florida with a little snow.
But Florida is sort of like Cuba, with more democracy.
So Ohio is like Cuba?
OK, Ohio is like Cuba with more handguns but crummier cigars.
Southern Florida is like Cuba. Much of the rest is like Ohio with palm trees. The panhandle is more like Alabama though.
Any place with palm trees is evil. I know this.
Don’t forget that the Navy Blue Angels hightail it out-of Pensacola over winter. They relocate to El Centro California. Pensacola winters are enough to test the sturdiness of anyone, I guess…(eye roll).
Had to be all those coconuts that fell on your head. You’d think you would have learned after the 8th or 9th time. But not you.
Palm trees steal souls, at least that’s what the hibiscus trees told me.
Thought palm trees were more into Hyundais.
I suppose I should visit other bits of Florida which meet the following qualifications:
-Not as humid.
-Not as foreigny.
-More education.
Which part of Florida is for me?
You will never escape the humidity in Florida.
Back to North Carolina it is, then.
“You will never escape the humidity in Florida.”
Sure you will. It’s called “January.” Sorta like the opposite of how it rains in southern Arizona.
JimC2-
That’s a good point. Even if there is some humidity in January, it’s better than snow.
I also love monsoon season in Southern Arizona.
The Space Coast, where the Kennedy Space Center is located. Not foreigny & lots of tech & defense companies here, so we have education covered. Humidity, on the other hand, might knock us out of the running.
@Adam: I’d take the opposite position. Here in MN, we start to wilt at 85% humidity, but just like Garrison Keillor not-so-subtly implies in his news from Lake Wobegon, we look forward to winter’s ferocity weeding out the unworthy, be it with snow, ice, or any combination thereof.
…Even if there is some humidity in January, it’s better than snow….
In your opinion. To me, snow is like money. It is possible to have too much, but its hard to reach that level.
Always nice to see the ole’ hometown make the news. This is just poor, rust-belt Canton encroaching on bedroom community North Canton. Been happening for a long time, since all the jobs went away, and it really got bad after NAFTA. That’s why I left. Anyone who wants to know why certain unorthodox and acrimonious political candidates gain traction, it’s areas like this.
I’m surprised this happened where it did. It’s a high-traffic area even at night. As many times as I’ve driven past this dealership, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen any new Buicks/GMCs out front. Always used cars. Even when it was a Saturn dealership. I don’t even know where they’re keeping their new cars. I had assumed they were in a locked area out back.
I guess I’m naive, because even recently I would walk the Ford dealership across the street from there. It used to be the kind of area where you could do that at night. I guess that’s over.
It’s kind of odd to see Canton pop up in such a way, I’m getting married there this January! Fiance’s relatives from both sides of the family are mostly from around there, more steel workers (retired and current) in the family than you can shake a stick at. Decided to come to them rather than making folks incur the cost of traveling out to us. I really love the area to be honest, and most of all the people. Truly salt of the earth, I always look forward to trips back there and hanging out with everyone during the holidays.
Mostly good people, but it’s turns into a mess the further south into Canton you go. Downtown isn’t too bad during the day, as the city has put some effort into creating its little art district.
I’m glad some of your relatives had a chance to retire. Most of my family is blue collar. Those who could, retired. Those who are still working, have crappy jobs because that’s all that’s left. Everyone else brain-drained their way to Columbus, Akron, or out of state.
I’ve driven through that part of Canton and you’re right it gets rough quick. We’re having the reception in a restored hotel downtown, it’s nice to see that there seems to be a genuine effort to revive the downtown area with art and music, I think (hope) more bars and restaurants will follow.
Hard to believe this goes on in Texas. Between shall-issue carry and stand-your-ground laws, both of which I heartily approve, I’m not sure I would even want to window shop a closed dealership let alone try to rip off a set of wheels.
Statistically speaking, there is no evidence that arming a bunch of yahoos with the latest in military style assault weapons reduces crime.
There *is* strong evidence that improving education reduces crime. That alleviating poverty reduces crime. And that improving policing methods and the justice system reduces crime.
Not anything I expect to take hold in Texas.
“There *is* strong evidence that improving education reduces crime. That alleviating poverty reduces crime.”
And Brazil is always the country of the future.
It’s impossible to improve education unless (1) the students are motivated to learn, which mostly means parental support, and (2) the schools protect the motivated students from the troublemakers who don’t want to learn and don’t want anyone else to learn either.
Poverty isn’t a problem for people with educations. It doesn’t have to be an STEM degree from a university. Many trades pay better than college degrees in fuzzy studies.
It costs tax money to improve policing, more for training than for salaries and benefits. When budgets are tight, training is first to be cut. A cop sitting in a classroom, learning to be a better cop, isn’t out writing tickets to generate income for the government that employs him. One of the consequences of inadequate training is that many cops are poor shots more likely to hit innocent bystanders during gunfights than are the yahoos VoGo mentioned.
I can’t even teach people around here that they can’t turn left whenever they damned well feel like it.
Some people are determined not to learn. You can lead the horse to water, but if he wants to crap in the trough, then that’s what he’ll do.
“Statistically speaking, there is no evidence that arming a bunch of yahoos with the latest in military style assault weapons reduces crime.”
Statistically speaking, you haven’t a clue of what you are talking about.
“military style assault weapons: shows you don’t know a damn thing about guns. So stop acting like you know anything about guns, people or Texas. Go over to the dailykos with your SJW crap…….
+1 markf
But he has a “hot wife” and bench presses his weight… all 98 pounds.
This term SJW you use is fascinating. People who fight for social justice, i.e., universal civil rights are American heroes. In many cases, they have died protesting to advance American ideals.
On the other hand, the people who seek to insult others with the term SJW are the ones most threatened by civil rights for all Americans. White men with minimal skills or work ethic who seek to continue the intimidation that kept Jim Crow and the glass ceiling intact for so many years.
Your world is crumbling around you, and you seek refuge in gun worship and Trump tweets.
ding ding ding, we have yet another Trump mention! I think Trump’s greatest deal ever is living inside your head for free.
Your instituted lefty biases assume: 1. I am white 2. I am not skilled 3. I have no work ethic. Civil rights for thee but not for me?
Let’s not forgot Jim Crow, slavery and gun control (designed originally to guns out of Black hands) are institutions of the Democratic Party.
Only you could turn a car web site into a SJW outreach program
Spot on, MarkF.
Here are a few facts:
The Founder of the Democratic Party (Andrew Jackson) was a Racist Land Stealer
The Democrats are the Party of Slavery
Democrats Founded the KKK
Democrats Opposed Desegregation
Remember that when you read some of the magical thinking and misdirected opprobrium.
And yet Chuy’s creamy jalapeno dip has never reached the far-off backwaters of VoGolandia, where kale is king and little rainbow unicorns prance and mince merrily while farting pixie dust.
Yet more personal attacks. All still quite normal at TTAC, I see.
That’s what you get for indicating that you’re smart and successful.
Don’t see *me* doin’ that do ya?
“That’s what you get for indicating that you’re smart and successful.”
I wonder if the corollary is true?
I suck!
Somebody compliment me, please.
JimC2 – I compliment you on your level of self awareness and acceptance of it. kudos.
;)
Unlicensed open carry is legal in Ohio as well. The area is still adjusting to the dregs of southern Stark County moving north. Hmmm, better tell mom to start packing heat.
Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Stuck in the middle with you
Answer to Name That Tune: Stealers Wheel! And, oh, I see what you did there.
And here I thought the only 20’s worth making a mad dash with were the aftermarket ones.
Dubs is dubs, foo.
Damn ~ I thought where I live was supposed to be bad .
.
Of course , we don’t have any new car dealerships ’round here….
.
“Any place with palm trees is evil. I know this.”.
.
No , it’s the _Palm_Trees_ that are evil , anyone who has one in their yard, knows this .
.
-Nate
Palm trees defy the laws of physics. Have you ever seen the root structure of a palm tree? Please tell me how something so puny, planted in sandy “soil” can withstand a stiff breeze let alone a category three hurricane.
Palm trees don’t have bark; they have *shudder* SCALES. They are not of this planet.
But that’s one of the neatest things about them- they don’t always withstand a hurricane. Then they become Nature’s bowling pins!!
I used to live in a condo in a two-building complex with a road that ran down the middle. The road was edged with twelve palm trees, of which seven remained when I moved in. I was there during a storm which took down one of the seven. These were TALL palm trees, but the hole left where the palm tree was ripped out of the ground resembled nothing so much as a proportionate pencil point in the yard. I never trusted those trees again.
Uh,oh ~
.
I’m beginning to see Paul’s point about me making too many posts…..
.
Anyway , I have way more familiarity with palm trees than I wish .
.
AFAICT ,they’re mostly fiber , filled with water . this makes them horrible to cut down ~ I ruined a chain saw , several expensive double headed axes and about 6 really good machetes taking one down , the next time I just paid a guy .
.
My main complaint with them isn’t the falling fronds nor the buckling sidewalks , it’s the _RATS_ they attract and shelter .
.
-Nate
About 15 years ago, when I was in college, I had someone steal all 4 wheels and tires off my then-new PT Cruiser. Woke up to drive to my economics class on a Friday morning and found it on blocks. But they only had 3 blocks, so they jammed one under the center on one side and put a big dent in it, too.
I’m not a big fan of wheel thieves.
You can’t say you didn’t receive an economics lesson that day.
Sorry; hopefully you can laugh about it some 15 years later.
Who’d want to steal anything off of a PT Cruiser?
Guy was on drugs, heavy drugs.
Yeah… BC buds…
I read this story in the Sunday paper someone thoughtfully left lying around at work, and I must say, the comments have not disappointed (good and bad). I didn’t catch the ‘Richie Rich’ pun opportunities until I reread it & was tipping off @TTAC on twitter.
I did hesitate to share it because it’s a morbid story, but then again, this did happen during The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week. Though how you can call it a “week” when the festival events are nonexistent from Monday through Wednesday, I will never know http://www.profootballhoffestival.com/schedule
I feel bad for the dealership. For the thief, I’m happy as hell you died.
This is a really novel way to murder someone and be sure there will be minimal investigation and few will care. There are other variations that are just as effective.
You reap what you sow.
That’s a strong statement. The vast majority of people in developed countries don’t think that a thief deserves death.
We don’t know this guy’s life; only how it ended. To wind up here, I suspect life dealt him a lousy hand, but also that he played the cards he was dealt poorly.
A waste of human life. I wish he had ‘almost’ died that night, seen the light and turned his life around. Maybe that’s unrealistic, but I remain optimistic for people like Richie Ritch.
If he almost died, then the taxpayers have to cover the huge medical expenses of a criminal.
Yeah, with a half-crushed head. Not cost effective!
It’s unfortunate, but he shouldn’t have put himself in that position.
Maybe his death wasn’t in vain. Maybe it is a teaching point or even “a wake-up call” to others who find themselves in his poor economic condition. Maybe at least one person will see the light that ripping off whoever you can most easily rip off is not the solution to obtain a few bucks needed to score some drugs or whatever.
As to the comment “I suppose life dealt him a lousy hand,” I think it’s not so much what you were dealt but how you play the cards; in other words, do the best with what you have. As a student of history, we should all be aware that many of the people who rose to the heights of accomplishment were often from very humble beginnings. Learning to “Do The Right Thing” – which is also a Spike Lee movie I saw when it first came out – is of paramount importance in one’s life. Not learning that can lead to very bad outcomes. “You reap what you sow” also comes to mind.
If you had read the complete sentence, it said “To wind up here, I suspect life dealt him a lousy hand, but also that he played the cards he was dealt poorly.”
We all have accountability for our lives. But those of us who are more fortunate should be very careful about judging others.
Thanks… I guess we’re all guilty, in a way. We all crushed him, and we all got a complimentary bumper sticker that said, “I helped crush Richard’s head!”
I see that the nightly attacks on decency, logic and Vogo have begun.
Why don’t you make an original, productive post about cars today?
“decency”, “logic” and “vogo” should never be used in the same post, let alone sentence.
““I helped crush Richard’s head!””
The Head Crusher from Kids in the Hall would be proud.