Pickup Tailgate Thieves Strike Tulsa Neighborhood

A rash of pickup tailgate thefts has one Tulsa neighborhood on high alert.  

Residents who live near 71st and Memorial say someone stole several back tailgates off of their pickup trucks last week.  The owners say at least three or four tailgates were stolen from their neighborhood.  

Experts say they're likely being taken to sell at salvage shop or online parts stores.  

It happened to Daniel Mobley and a few of his neighbors.  He says he was at home at the time, but he never heard the thieves.  He says they must have been experienced at taking tailgates, because they did it quickly and quietly.  

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, tailgate thefts are on the rise, increasing every year for the past six years.  Now, Mobley will have to shell out at least a thousand dollars to replace the tailgate of his new Chevy truck.

"You have to order the bumper, then it has to be painted, then you have to pay someone to put it back on with the brackets and everything; it gets real expensive," said Daniel Mobley.  

Experts say the best way to prevent this from happening, lock your tailgate.