I'll post the details later as i'm in a rush at the moment, but my empeg mkII (with sled AND tuner) was stolen out of my car via busted window today in broad daylight on a semi-busy st... with witnesses... in Berkeley, CA. The serial number is #080000446 so watch ebay and the like folks. I'll email rob later. Thanks.

Oh no! Not another! I hope it turns up, being that there where witnesses gives some hope.

This is getting a little too common. Every new such case raises my paranoia just a little more.

I know the feeling. My friends all think I'm crazy when I won't get out of the car (even for just a few minutes) without taking the empeg with me. It is definitely worth the effort to have the sanity of knowing at all times where it is.

Today I went to see a movie. I locked it in the trunk. I have the same faceplate for my car that Tony (tfabris) ordered. So when it's not in there, it looks like there isn't anything to steal.

If I'm out in public and I can't carry it with me, I figure hiding it is the next best option. But under the seat isn't good enough for me.

That sucks man. I hope it finds its way back to you.

I do leave mine in the trunk sometimes, but I still don't feel it is much safer in there, so I only do that when I have no other choice. Otherwise, if I know I'm going somewhere where I will not be able to take it with me, I leave it at home. I can live without having music for that drive if it means I will have it in the future.

I think this is the first time that the sled and tuner were taken also. This person knows what it is and I doubt will throw it in the trash.

you have a civic also, right? cuz if so, he probably just tore out the whole DIN adapter... its really easy on my 99 civic.

Good luck man. Not that ANYBODY deserves this, but you're a great asset to this community and this really hits home.

Thanks for the well wishings everyone. I've got a bunch of details and theories to post... but i'm about to go out and drown the old sorrows... here's the mandatory pics in the mean time...

bye bye empeg.

Oh god those pictures hurt! So sorry man. Yeah, I guess it's safe to say the guy just took the whole DIN and wasn't just aiming at the empeg. What was in the other space?

Man that sucks, did they take anything else?

At least they took the sled too, so like Laura said you probably won't find it smashed on the side of the road or in the trash.

Loren, wow - I really feel for you. This is just terrible. I want to hear about the witnesses and stuff. Don't let this get you down. Get another - they aren't grossly overpriced anymore.

- Jon

Loren, my deepest sympathies go out to you. I am so very sorry to hear about this.

The fact that it happened under those particular circumstances is frightening, and I hope that by reading this, others will be even more careful with their players.

Note: I have not looked at your pictures yet because it would be too painful for me to see, I'm sure.

I locked it in the trunk. I have the same faceplate for my car that Tony (tfabris) ordered. So when it's not in there, it looks like there isn't anything to steal.

To anyone reading: I do not recommend doing this. Do not lock your player in the trunk. Thieves could be sitting somewhere near the parking lot watching people go in and out of their cars and choosing their targets. If they see you lock it up in the trunk, they will certainly steal it because they will know you're not coming back for a while.

When I use my cover-plate, it's not to protect the player (since I always carry my player with me), it's to protect the window from getting smashed for no reason.

Scary. Very scary.

Where in Berkeley did it happen? I've had the exact same thing happen to me in my parking garge in Berkeley... Luckily I had my empeg inside, so I just lost my amp and window and raised my insurance premiums... You'll be vacuuming out glass forever, but it's all replacable...

Matthew

When you say they took you player, tuner AND sled, this makes me think that :
1) the thief knew what he was after.
2) since these things are hardly common (especially the tuner), the thief probably KNEW that you had an Empeg in your car.
With this I mean that you possibly have met the thief and know him.
Have you met any persons lately whom you told about/shown you Empeg to and that seemed more than mildly interested?

Also I can see in this picture that there are some grease stains on the right hand corner where the sled was. It's possibly a fingerprint belonging to the thief that he made while pulling your sled out.
Same goes for that LCD screen. If the thief has touched it, his prints will be all over it.
My advice is to go to the police and have them dust you car for fingerprints.
And if they find prints, then keep you fingers crossed that the thief is already known in their prints database.

I'm very sorry about your loss. I hope this helps somewhat.

That's really sh*tty, I hope you find the SOB and give him a good kicking. Do you have a spare player you can be getting on with?

What sad pictures, very sad. I am sure that if you can't find another player that one of us would sell you a spare that we have. So don't let it get you down too much.

I worry everyday about mine, it is not insured and gets left in the van while I am in various stores working. But I am not gone for long and in the worse parts of town their is always a security guard right inside the door. It would be more of a hassle to me to carry it in each time than to leave it.

I hope you were able to drown your sorrows last night and today looks a little bit brighter for you.

f........ hell, the empeg and the car of a man is holy!!!

Loren - my condolences. That is truly crappy.

Archeon- your post is very much along the thoughts I had about this last night, except I wanted to raise one other ugly possibility. This isn't necessarily with regards to Loren, (as I don't know what details he's posted) but for those of you posting pictures of your install be careful about how much personal information you post here about where you are (in your profile). If they know about where you live, what your car looks like and your full name it's not too hard to find exactly where you live. An ugly thought, but I feel compelled to raise it.

Again Loren I'm very sorry to hear about this. I hope he's caught & prosecuted.

-Zeke

An empeg serial stealer might be on the loose!

When I see stuff like this happen I start thinking we should do what they do in some other countries... you get caught stealing... you lose a finger.

Alrighty folks... here's the story,

It was Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, CA, on the corner of 6th and Camelia Street. A friend (fellow empeg owner) and i were doing some "junk" shopping all day at reuse centers. We parked the car across the street and just around the corner from Urban Ore, went to get some food at Picante, about 500 feet from my car, then went across the street to Urban Ore. I normally take the empeg with me or at least put it in the trunk, but i figured it would be fine in a fairly active area such as we were in, and we would only be gone an hour.

We came back and i pressed the button to turn the alarm off, and it beeped 4 times which means that someone tripped the alarm while i was gone. I thought nothing off it other than saying "that's weird"... and went to the trunk to put something in, when Scott said something pointing out the busted passenger window sitting on my front seat. Quick survey and i knew... they only took the empeg. They knew what they were doing i immediately thought. We looked around the area, hoping the guy didn't know what he had and dumped it in a garbage or something, then i called the claim in.

So after calling the insurance company, a guy pulls up with his wife and asks "Is your car okay?" Hah... "No, someone busted my window and stole my stereo" i replied. Long and short of it is he and his wife were just coming home looking for a parking spot, when they saw someone standing over my car and the alarm going off with a grey hatchback across the street double parked... and thought it was weird. "I saw a hispanic guy standing there as the alarm was going off, but there was people around the streets and i didn't wanna jump to conclusions ya know?" he says. Nice. So he drove back around the block, and the hatchback was then in front of my car kind of at an angle, and the guy was still in my car. I assume that means the guy had a getaway driver. Then he says after they got home, they saw the car drive off, which is when he thought he might wanna get the plate number, which he did... or so he thought.

So he tells me all this... and for some reason i wasn't pissed at the guy and his wife... i'd already accepted the empegs fate and i dunno... i wouldn't expect someone to put themselves in any danger for a stupid stereo... and on top of that... i can see how he would just think it was someone trying to turn off their alarm or something... i mean this thief had nuts to break into a car in a fairly busy street, with people all around and cars passing by. Anyhow, whatever.... i wished he'd have done something but i wasn't pissed at him.

So the cop comes. I give a report, the guy who "saw" it comes back, gives his report. They run the plate, it was for a Jag, not a grey honda civic hatchback that the guy saw. So much for that. They can't run similar plates... they have to have an exact match. I turned down the fingerprinting, no point... everything was smudged.

Now... the thing is... this guy knew what he was after. He took out the pocket and faceplate around the empeg carefully, only breaking a few tabs. He took the tuner (including the adaptor!), and the sled, unplugging the RCA's. He had to cut two of them that were taped to well to just yank out. He attempted to get the LCD screen, which i knew a long time ago that no one would ever be getting out the way we put it in... no way... so at least that was amusing to me. It still works too, despite the shell being snapped in two. Other than that, he left everything. The Rio remote, the two pairs of sunglasses, and the GPS that were hidden in the console, AND the playstation in the glovebox. Oh, and my backpack in the backseat. I know i know, i had a lot of crap in there... but this was a busy area!!

I'm guessing one of two things. This guy either saw us somewhere else and followed us there, and knew what an empeg was, or he knew my car from the web, and knew what was in it. The latter seems pretty unlikely since he'd have known to take the playstation... but maybe he's already got one... who knows. I'd wager either way he knew exactly what he was going for and what it was worth, because he was a ballsy bastard to do it where he did it, in broad daylight, with people around.

I also noticed today that he tried to punch in the passenger lock, busting it up good, and also tried to pull the trunk release, bending the hell out of it. Glad i lock that from the inside.

This all does make me weary of all the info i have online. People have always told me they thought it was stupid of me, but i dunno.

As for the theory of it being someone i met or told about the empeg recently... i can't think of anyone that fits that bill... i haven't showed it off or anything except to close friends.

After my $500 deductible, everything else is paid for... i'm gonna find out how the insurance company is going to handle getting me a replacement tomorrow. Thanks a million to those who've offered to sell me one... you have no idea how much at ease that sets my mind... i sincerely appreciate it. My car is across the street with plastic over the window... a new one goes in at 8am tomorrow. Here's to hoping i don't have to file a stolen car claim in the morning.

Oh, and in the chance the guy who did it is reading this, welcome to the board. I hope you like punk music.

Oh, and in the chance the guy who did it is reading this, welcome to the board. I hope you like punk music.



humor. so very important.

They run the plate, it was for a Jag, not a grey honda civic hatchback that the guy saw. So much for that. They can't run similar plates... they have to have an exact match.

Bull. They can do similar plates. I know because I do this all the time. Of course if they wanted to is another matter alltogether.
The way I'd do it is search for a list of all the honda civic hatchback's that are in the San Francisco area and then cross reference that result with the number plate I got from the withness. This has worked for me many times.
Sounds more to me like they weren't in the mood to do their job right.

I turned down the fingerprinting, no point... everything was smudged

A shame. You'd be surprised how much fingerprints you can get out of a car, and also in areas you wouldn't expect them to be. It's not because you can't see the prints that they're not there.
Of course that's a moot point now since you've already used the car since the break-in and most probably contaminated the evidence by now.

Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. If you think there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask.

Greetings!

I am extremely sorry to hear about this. From your description, it sounds like someone who knew what they were doing. If not for the empeg itself, but certainly someone who steals car stereos a lot. Having a getaway driver... Quick removal... Very sad.

I must agree here.. this is the first time that I have heard the sled was taken as well. I think the thief knew what it was and knew what to take, there is enough information on the web if not this very site. If thats the case, the thief probably knows better than to sell it on ebay. I hate to say it but I think this player is gone, ending up in someone elses car.

I remove mine and bring it in with me here at work, but usually leave it in the car if I am just running around town. I may start rethinking that.. and now it seems I need to figure out how to pretect my sled and tuner too!

As for the similar plates.. there could be more going on here than meets the eye. How do we know that the eye witness did not get the correct plate number? The thief may have stolen those as well, put them on his car for just such an emergency, and put his originals back on when he was safe. Just an outside possibility, and I hope a wrong one. Similar numbers provide a better chance of finding the thief.

But I do know that I would not leave my car double parked while performing a crime, that kind of stands out.. dont you think? Maybe this guy is not so bright afterall.

Sorry to hear about this disturbing news - not the kind of news I like to hear about when I just returned to work on a monday morning. This has really made me think twice about where I leave my empeg, but even moreso - where I talk about it and with whom. The thieves themselves may be lurking here and at riocar.org - it has made me think twice about documenting/posting pictures of the install into my new car.

My condolences to Loren, and all the other thieved empeg victims around too. No reason to beat a dead horse - but this guy knew what he was after. It is such a shame things have to be this way, but it will really cause me to think twice about what I say in a public domain like this. Due to the uniqueness of my car - I feel nervous even mentioning what city I reside in/near.

Too bad its inhumane to leash a pit bull to your bumper.

Good luck man. No one likes to serve as an example - but hopefully others here will be a little more careful - I know I won't be leaving my empeg under the seat or in the trunk.

Again, so sorry to hear about it. It makes me so much more happy to have a garage to park my vehicle in at night, though my community is mostly retired people, and my overall local area is a tourist town and retiree area, so there are luckily much fewer crimes than in most areas. But I do travel quite often to less-than-safe areas.

I wonder, and maybe you guys could answer this. How safe is an average laptop security cable? would a theif be carrying something strong enough to cut one? If not, I imagine if you looped it around the bottom of one of the seats, and had the empeg under the seat, there's less of a chance of someone taking it. Just a thought.

*edit*
What do you guys suggest for instances when you can't bring the player with you? The area I was talking about as a bad one for me is the local movie theaters. They're about 25-30 minutes away (for the good ones), and it would be annoying to not have music at all. But I can't put my player in a trunk because I have no trunk (minivan). hmmm...perhaps I'll make some room in the spare tire cavity...

sorry loren.

i think i'm going to screw my sled down to the frame, like what you did in your civic tony, to prevent the sled from being taken as well. and i'm going to start to lock my trunk latch, and just open it from keyhole.

or mebbe even go extreme. bulletproof windows. lets see a thief break that! will help w/ my sound quality also, i hope.

my condolences to the missing empeg and its owner.

If you think there's anything I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask.

Wanna run some plates for me? heheh.

In reply to:

---

think i'm going to screw my sled down to the frame [...] to prevent the sled from being taken as well

---

If someone wants your sled they're likely to get it out or destroy your dash trying... At least the sled (via David or soon Rob R.), connector (DigiKey), and soon the tuner (Patrick) are relatively replaceable.

First, to Loren, my condolences. That's a shame.

I remove mine and bring it in with me here at work, but usually leave it in the car if I am just running around town. I may start rethinking that..

Depending on where you live/drive, this just seems like a gamble where it is impossible to know the odds with any precision. So, I don't leave the Empeg in the car unless I have direct line-of-sight to the car, and, sadly, I don't take the Empeg in my car as often as I would if crime/theft wasn't a risk.

As for the similar plates.. there could be more going on here than meets the eye. How do we know that the eye witness did not get the correct plate number? The thief may have stolen those as well, put them on his car for just such an emergency, and put his originals back on when he was safe. Just an outside possibility, and I hope a wrong one. Similar numbers provide a better chance of finding the thief.

Yes, I'd think they should be looking for a Honda with that plate. I mean, *I* never do crimes without some fresh stolen plates.

But I do know that I would not leave my car double parked while performing a crime, that kind of stands out.. dont you think? Maybe this guy is not so bright afterall.

Criminals span the brightness spectrum. This double-parking was probably not stupid from their standpoint as it got the job done. A brazen, nonchalant attitude helps, too. First, honest, innocent citizens can form the impression that "everything must be OK. That guy is just standing there..." ; more jaded citizens can go "no way am I going to ask that guy what he's doing. I could get shot for my trouble." The people who did this probably have experience with the criminal justice system. They know they're taking a chance with some jail time, but they probably don't care very much. Especially if they're juveniles, they know that the risk of prolonged incarceration is small.

These guys don't think like us.

Something that sounded interesting about the "switched plates" idea - well, if the witness did infact get the plate number correct, then one would easily conclude the thief stole the plates from the Jag. But to imply that the thief had them laying around and only used them when he went out to steal something - wouldn't that come up with some big warning in the database police use? I mean, if I was the owner of that Jag, and my plates were stolen, I think I would let law enforcement know... so if he did steal the plates he only just did so.

I like the idea that someone earlier mentioned about cross referencing and using smarter queries of the database to yield results. It's too bad the policemen there for Loren didn't really try harder...

Ahh.. well here is SOME help anyways.

www.publicdata.com

This site provides some basic information when it comes to public records. If I am not mistaken, there is a section where you can enter someones plate and it will give you a name and I think an address.. I have never used that particular part of their database before but I have used this site and think it may be of some help.

Drawbacks, it does not include all 50 states, and there is a small fee.. but well worth it, I am sure, if it helps return your player.

Hey Lorin, I'll go in with you on publicdata.com's $25/year fee if you want ... I'd like to run a plate on a guy that hit&runned me on Friday.

Greg

Here's a free one!

Try entering your own info, it's amazing that they have everyone on file and that you can look this stuff up for free... It scares me that this information is so easily accessible...

http://www.license.shorturl.com/

- Jon

Wanna run some plates for me? heheh.

I would if I could. But somehow I don't think they also have the American cars numperplates database running over here in Belgium.

Wow, that really worked. And the license picture was stunningly accurate.

heheh, welp... looks like the Berkeley PD's plate lookup system is behind Belgium's. =]

Got the window replaced this morning - $207.39
Got an estimate for the lock replacement - $219
Got another estimate for the lock replacement - $350
Talked to Premier Mobile whom USAA uses to do stereo replacement, and as i'd assumed, they'd never heard of the empeg or RioCar and can't purchase one retail or otherwise... and i told them there is nothing comparable. I could always take a Sony or Pioneer HD based unit... psh. So after they come out and do an estimate on Wednesday, I'll have to get back to USAA and see how they wanna handle it. She said they might end up cashing me out... which they will. Meanwhile i'm empeg and music less. I'm just going to install my backup empeg with Kelly's sled, and i'll take it out when the guy gets here Wednesday. All i'll have to do is plug it in since the theif was nice enough to leave all my monster cable in tact. Thanks man! =D

[edit: i really want another mkII, not a mkIIa... anybody have one of those laying around they wanna get rid of?? Weird i know... but they just seemed more solid. heh.]

Hey Lorin, I'll go in with you on publicdata.com's $25/year fee if you want ... I'd like to run a plate on a guy that hit&runned me on Friday.

Thanks for the offer, but i'm just going to push on the Berkeley PD a little more. They have to have that capability.

Hey, I didn't know you had a backup. That's great news!

Now you're probably patting yourself on the back for hanging onto it instead of ebaying it.

heheh, welp... looks like the Berkeley PD's plate lookup system is behind Belgium's. =]

That's scary!

Heh, hell yeah! I never even CONSIDERED ebaying it in reality. I sort of have two backups though one is officially Kelly's... for when she someday gets a car. THAT's how much she loves the thing... she doesn't even know WHEN she'll be getting a car, but she bought one anyway. So.. actually, the backup is the replacement... it's a 60gig MkIIa that has a button hack on it. I just never liked the way it felt or fit in the sled (i'm odd that way), so i used it at home in my component box and kept on using the original in the car. I think i still want a MkII replacement for my main unit so i can keep the MkIIa at home. The blue buttons look better in the component dock than in the car anyway. BUT... i'm still gonna be tunerless, as that was my only one. Though i've had offers... thanks again guys... i'll get back to you Wed. i guess. Unless i get priority with Patrick to ease my grief.... =]

I just never liked the way it felt or fit in the sled (i'm odd that way)

You and me both.

I may be able to run the plates for you... and search for matches.. Not sure if I can access beyond Louisiana though, never really tried. PM me with the info and I'll try and check it tomorrow. Working for the Govt DOES have some advantages.

I gave the paper with the plate to the officer at the scene... dammit! I'm gonna call hiim and see if he'll fork over the number. I'll PM you if so. Thanks for the offer!

No problem.

I am so stupid.

g

Don't worry, the first time I saw it I fell for it too

Everytime I see a new post on this thread, I quickly look to see if Loren has received some good news!
I'll keep checking.
Let me know if you need anything, I have a spare everything.

Loren, That Sucks! =(

I do have one comment, though...

i really want another mkII, not a mkIIa... anybody have one of those laying around they wanna get rid of??

I happen to have a MKII, and have been recently trying to figure out how to upgrade to a MKIIa... I like the MKIIa better, because of the way the knob feels. =/ Mines currently a 12gb, but I'm sure a drive swap wouldn't be too much trouble. I also have a tuner that I've never used, which I would use as part of a barter transaction if need be.

So anyway, let me know if you find a MKIIa and you want to swap it, or whatever. BTW, I'm in Santa Cruz.

Alrighty folks. Just to start to wrap this up. I'm getting more than enough back from my insurance company to cover getting a new empeg, replacing the window, door lock, and LCD screen. Thanks to the generous offers of a few fellow BBS members, i'll be back in business soon! And with the extra $$ I'm going to get a 60 gig drive for my new empeg.

Thanks again for all your kind words and offers of help. This is coming off a bit melodramatic, but seriously... it meant a lot. And it showed what an "insanely great" (tm) community we've got here, virtual and otherwise.

And to the theif, wherever you are, those tracks that are marked need to be re-ripped. Just email me and i'll get your info so i can send you the CD's. Punk.

And to the theif, wherever you are, those tracks that are marked need to be re-ripped. Just email me and i'll get your info so i can send you the CD's. Punk.


LOL. Great to see you haven't lost your sense of humor! I'm glad things are getting worked out..

And to the theif, wherever you are, those tracks that are marked need to be re-ripped. Just email me and i'll get your info so i can send you the CD's. Punk.

Don't you worry your mind about this. I have it on good authority that the heads started skidding across the platters on your Empeg 30 minutes after it was stolen!! Ha! Punks!

"theif"

<singsong voice>
I before E except after C. etc. etc. etc....
</singsong voice>


Z~

my speling and gramar has gone too shite laterly.

Thats OK. My Gramar went to shite too.
She should really stop drinking so much whiskey.
Grampar's no help either though.