Cold weather warning: Stolen vehicle thefts

FARGO (KFGO-AM) -- Beware of cold weather auto thieves.

Fargo Police Lt. Joel Vettel says every year when temperatures drop, there's an increase in the theft of vehicles left running and unattended. He says even if it's only for a few minutes, the running vehicles represent an easy target for thieves. Vettel says in the past 48 hours, 2 vehicles that weft running were stolen.

It’s against the law to leave a running vehicle unattended. Charges are rare but if the vehicle is stolen, there's a good chance insurance won't cover the loss.

So far this year, there have been 153 vehicle thefts in Fargo.