Caught on camera: Thieves use U-Haul truck to steal Wantagh family's Jet Ski

A neighbor tells News 12 he found the locks cut and slashes in the wrap on his Jet Skis just a few doors down.

Jon Dowding

Feb 10, 2024, 3:16 AM

Updated 168 days ago

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It happened again: thieves used a U-Haul truck to steal a Nassau County family’s Jet Ski.
This latest incident in Wantagh is the third incident News 12 has learned about from viewers in the last three weeks. The first incident happened in Locust Valley at the end of January and another incident happened in East Meadow last week.
This latest incident happened in the early Tuesday morning and was caught on video that you'll only see on News 12.
Jerry Betz leaves his Jet Ski at his sister’s dock in Wantagh. He says security camera video from neighbors shows the moments thieves took off with his family’s Jet Ski.
"Broken lock, hook it up to the trailer to the truck, and drove away in less than two minutes," he said.
It’s the same pattern seen from security camera video of the other incidents. A U-Haul truck drove up the block around 4:45 a.m. Then it came back down the block and parked in front of the Jet Ski. Betz says they cut the locks to the trailer. In the video, the U-Haul truck driver gets out of the truck and checks to make sure the Jet Ski is attached before driving off down the block.
Betz says he reached out to News 12 after realizing what happened to him wasn’t an isolated incident.
"I actually saw the report last week of the other double that was stolen in East Meadow and I wanted to give you more information,” he said.
Betz’s Jet Ski wasn't the only target on the block. A neighbor tells News 12 he found the locks cut and slashes in the wrap on his Jet Skis just a few doors down.
After what happened in Locust Valley, East Meadow, and now in Wantagh, Betz says other Jet Ski owners should take precautionary measures.
"Take the tires off the trailer. Do as much as you can,” he said. “The lock isn't good enough cause I had the lock on it and it just isn’t going to work."
Nassau Police confirmed to News 12 that all the incidents are ongoing investigations, but would not comment on whether these incidents are connected.


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