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Milwaukee police: 'Criminal enterprise' steals cars to fix and sell

Thieves in Milwaukee are using key programming tools to quickly steal cars, police investigate a 'criminal enterprise' stealing cars to sell them

Milwaukee police: 'Criminal enterprise' steals cars to fix and sell

Thieves in Milwaukee are using key programming tools to quickly steal cars, police investigate a 'criminal enterprise' stealing cars to sell them

HUDSON. THERE’S A NEW HIGH TECH WAY. THIEVES ARE STEALING CARS IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE. THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH YOUR CAR IN JUST SECONDS USING A KEY PROGRAMING TOOL. 12 NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JAMES STRATTON UNCOVERING WHAT PROSECUTORS CALL A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE. IN THE MECHANIC, THEY SAY IS INVOLVED. THERE’S 1,000,001 THINGS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOUR CAR GETS STOLEN. I’VE NEVER HAD THAT HAPPEN BEFORE. FRANK TRAGESER HAD HIS HIGH END JEEP TRACKHAWK STOLEN FROM AN AIRPORT AREA HOTEL WHILE VISITING HIS FIANCE IN MILWAUKEE. POLICE SAY THE THIEVES USED A KEY PROGRAMMER TO TAKE OFF WITH HIS CAR. EAU CLAIRE COURT RECORDS 12 NEWS INVESTIGATES OBTAINED CLAIM THE SAME GROUP STOLE RUSSELL JACKSON’S INFINITI IN EARLY APRIL. POLICE SAY THAT WHITE INFINITI WAS STOLEN FROM THIS LOT ON LOVER’S LANE NEAR SILVER SPRING. COURT RECORDS SHOW. IT WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC SHOP NEAR 73RD AND FOREST IN A SEARCH WARRANT. POLICE CLAIM IT’S A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE WHERE A MECHANIC WILL, QUOTE, REPAIR RIVNE PAINT, REPAIR ANY DAMAGE AND OR REKEY THESE VEHICLES. THE MECHANIC HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED. SO 12 NEWS IS NOT NAMING HIM. RECORDS SHOW POLICE DOCUMENTED FIVE STOLEN CARS HERE IN APRIL AND MAY, INCLUDING JACKSON’S, INFINITI AND JEEP. THE BUILDING’S OWNER SAYS THEY’VE SINCE EVICTED THE MECHANIC. MILWAUKEE POLICE CLAIM CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES ARE STEALING CARS WITH THESE KEY PROGRAMMERS TO FIX AND SELL THEM IN THE WRONG HANDS. THIEVES BREAK A WINDOW, HOOK A DEVICE TO A PORT UNDER YOUR STEERING WHEEL. PROGRAM A NEW KEY, AND DRIVE AWAY. YOU CAN JUST READ THE DATA FOR THE CAR, IT’S JUST A COUPLE SECONDS. 12 NEWS INVESTIGATES HAD A LOCKSMITH SHOW US IT ONLY TAKES 40S TOTAL TO START. MOST VEHICLES. IT’S THAT QUICK. IT’S JUST THAT QUICK. POLICE SAY DUE TO NEWS STORIES LIKE THIS, CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES ARE GOING TO EXTREME LENGTHS TO MAKE STOLEN CARS UNDETECTABLE, LIKE REPAINTING THEM, CHANGING PLATES AND PARTS UNTIL THEY CAN BE SOLD. POLICE SAY TO PROTECT YOUR CAR, GET A LOCK FOR YOUR ONBOARD DIAGNOSTIC PORT OR A CLUB FOR YOUR STEERING WHEEL. JAMES STRATTON, WISN 12 NEWS, MILWAUKEE POLICE SAY PUSH TO START INFINITI AND TOYOTA’S SEEM TO BE THE CARS THAT ARE MOST STOLEN, ALTHOUGH HONDA, NISSAN, DODGE, CHRYSLER AND LEXUS ALL HAVE NO WAIT TIME TO REKEY THE VEHICLE, MEANI
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Updated: 6:42 PM CDT Jun 17, 2025
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Milwaukee police: 'Criminal enterprise' steals cars to fix and sell

Thieves in Milwaukee are using key programming tools to quickly steal cars, police investigate a 'criminal enterprise' stealing cars to sell them

WISN logo
Updated: 6:42 PM CDT Jun 17, 2025
Editorial Standards
There's a new high-tech way thieves are stealing cars in Milwaukee. They can get away with your car in just seconds using a key programming tool.Frank Tragesser had his high-end Jeep Trackhawk stolen from an airport hotel while visiting his fiancée in Milwaukee. Police say the thieves used a key programmer to take off with his car."There's a million and one things going through your head when your car gets stolen," said Tragesser. "I've never had that happen before."Court records obtained by 12 News Investigates claim the same group stole Russell Jackson's Infiniti in early April. Police said a white Infiniti was stolen from a lot on Lovers Lane near Silver Spring and taken to a mechanic's shop near 73rd Street and Florist Avenue.Police searched the shop, which they claim is a "criminal enterprise" where a mechanic will "repair, re-vin, paint, repair any damage and/or re-key these vehicles." The mechanic has not been charged, so WISN 12 News is not naming him. Records show police documented five stolen cars here in April and May, including Washington's Infiniti and Tragesser's Jeep. A search warrant states police spoke with someone who said stolen vehicles are "...re-vinned, painted and sold and repaired once inside, and this is a regular occurrence and a large part of their business."The same person told police, according to the search warrant that "clients" will pay the shop to take parts from cars that aren't stolen to replace them on stolen vehicles to "... make them legitimate." A returned search warrant doesn't state what police found at the shop.The building's owner said the mechanic was evicted once the person leasing the place found out about a stolen vehicle there.Milwaukee police and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office declined to comment further.Police say in both cases, the car owners still had their cars, leading them to believe the vehicles were stolen with a key programmer. The high-tech way to steal cars is taking off across Milwaukee. Milwaukee police say they responded to 19 car thefts from key fob programmers in the first three months of the year. Court records say Nissan is now the second-most stolen vehicle in the city, and the key programmers are to blame.Media coverage, like this story, is changing how car thieves operate, according to the search warrant." ... criminal enterprises have gone to extreme lengths to ensure their vehicles (their product) remain undetectable," it states, adding that police will replace parts that would contain a part number with another part and use new license plates and paint to keep the car from getting detected.In Milwaukee, police said push-to-start Infiniti and Toyota's seem to be the cars most stolen. Though, Honda, Nissan, Dodge, Chrysler, and Lexus all have no wait time to re-key the vehicle, meaning thieves can start the vehicle right away and take off.

There's a new high-tech way thieves are stealing cars in Milwaukee. They can get away with your car in just seconds using a key programming tool.

Frank Tragesser had his high-end Jeep Trackhawk stolen from an airport hotel while visiting his fiancée in Milwaukee.

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Police say the thieves used a key programmer to take off with his car.

"There's a million and one things going through your head when your car gets stolen," said Tragesser. "I've never had that happen before."

Court records obtained by 12 News Investigates claim the same group stole Russell Jackson's Infiniti in early April. Police said a white Infiniti was stolen from a lot on Lovers Lane near Silver Spring and taken to a mechanic's shop near 73rd Street and Florist Avenue.

Police searched the shop, which they claim is a "criminal enterprise" where a mechanic will "repair, re-vin, paint, repair any damage and/or re-key these vehicles."

The mechanic has not been charged, so WISN 12 News is not naming him.

Records show police documented five stolen cars here in April and May, including Washington's Infiniti and Tragesser's Jeep.

A search warrant states police spoke with someone who said stolen vehicles are "...re-vinned, painted and sold and repaired once inside, and this is a regular occurrence and a large part of their business."

The same person told police, according to the search warrant that "clients" will pay the shop to take parts from cars that aren't stolen to replace them on stolen vehicles to "... make them legitimate." A returned search warrant doesn't state what police found at the shop.

The building's owner said the mechanic was evicted once the person leasing the place found out about a stolen vehicle there.

Milwaukee police and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office declined to comment further.

Police say in both cases, the car owners still had their cars, leading them to believe the vehicles were stolen with a key programmer. The high-tech way to steal cars is taking off across Milwaukee. Milwaukee police say they responded to 19 car thefts from key fob programmers in the first three months of the year. Court records say Nissan is now the second-most stolen vehicle in the city, and the key programmers are to blame.

Media coverage, like this story, is changing how car thieves operate, according to the search warrant.

" ... criminal enterprises have gone to extreme lengths to ensure their vehicles (their product) remain undetectable," it states, adding that police will replace parts that would contain a part number with another part and use new license plates and paint to keep the car from getting detected.

In Milwaukee, police said push-to-start Infiniti and Toyota's seem to be the cars most stolen. Though, Honda, Nissan, Dodge, Chrysler, and Lexus all have no wait time to re-key the vehicle, meaning thieves can start the vehicle right away and take off.