DENVER — Denver International Airport (DIA) has seen a steep increase in stolen vehicles recently.
Denver7 was the first to confirm with the Denver Police Department that year to date numbers show a 63% increase in cars reported stolen from the airport. From Jan. 1 to March 3, there's been 26 cars reported stolen from DIA, compared to 16 in the same time frame from 2020.
On Wednesday night, officers arrested two people believed to be connected to at least two of the stolen vehicles.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by Denver7, Jordan Eull and Dezirae Moyer were arrested at DIA in a car that had a stolen license plate. An officer reported that the license plate was stolen from another vehicle in DIA garages.
Officers said they couldn't release booking photos due to the ongoing investigation.
Terri Finney's returned to the airport on Sunday, Feb. 28 and discovered her Audi had been stolen.
"I got back from a trip, I was parked at DIA in the parking garage, got back probably around 6:30 p.m., then got to the parking garage around 8 and my car wasn't there," Finney said. "An officer took all my information and he looks at my license plate number and he goes, 'Well, your car was used in another crime this afternoon.'"
Police didn't confirm whether the two suspects were connected to Finney's stolen vehicle. As of Thursday evening, Finney's car had not been located.
"You hear about this on Law & Order, when you're watching TV. When he said, 'Your car has been used in a crime this afternoon, '[I thought] my little Audi?"
Back in 2020, a Denver grand jury indicted five people in a crime ring that were accused of stealing 70 cars from parking lots and hotels around DIA.
DIA told Denver7 in a statement that security patrols had been increased as a result of the recent incidents:
We are aware (and concerned) of an uptick in vehicle vandalism and theft from DEN parking lots recently. The uptick in incidents this weekend is unusual, though we know that unfortunately car theft has increased in the Denver area recently, and we take it extremely seriously. DEN is working closely with the Denver Police Department to investigate these incidents. There are several different groups that regularly patrol DEN parking lots, including Denver Police, DEN staff and contracted security and we’ve increased these patrols as a result of recent reported incidents. We also encourage anyone parking in DEN lots to follow the same safety protocols you follow when parking in other public parking areas: don’t leave valuables in your car, be aware of your surroundings, take your keys with you, and report any suspicious activity to the airport or police.
On Friday morning, Finney said Denver Police had recovered her car. Denver7 has reached out to officers for additional details.
