Milwaukee man's truck stolen; vehicle thefts up in 2024

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man's truck was recently stolen by thieves he said targeted his block on the city's southside.

He's one of thousands of victims who have had their cars stolen so far this year.

In a matter of minutes, Darrick Tate’s gray 2012 Ford F-150 was gone, creating a world of problems.

"All my tools are in the vehicle. I use that same vehicle to Uber to make ends meet so that me and my family can survive and they just swiped that from me," Tate said. "They took it from me."

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Ring camera from his apartment building near South 23rd Street and Verona Court shows three suspects getting out of a car last Sunday just after 1 a.m.

"They went down the block searching cars looking in windows," he said.

In his case, Tate said his doors were locked and the truck was parked directly in front of his home, with nearly $3,000 worth of work tools inside.

"I woke up the next morning, I said, ‘honey did you move the truck?’ she said no," Tate said. "I was like wow. So I called the police department and they said no Mr. Tate, your vehicle wasn’t towed, it was stolen."

And he’s not alone.

According to MPD data, 4,447 vehicles have been stolen so far this year. That number is up 5% compared to this time last year.

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"That is just terrible. People got to survive off that stuff and they just swipe it from them," Tate said. "They don’t know the situations."

Tate believes addressing the issue starts with a village to support the youth.

"Speak up. Be vigilant. Be active," he said.

He is hoping his vehicle is found. His license plate number is TM2294.