Car broken into at Ferncroft lot

[kevinmac]

I called Tamworth PD today and spoke with Chief Porier. He asked that the parties whose cars were broken into to please call him so he can get some information. He said he had not heard of this incident. He did say as another poster mentioned that jurisdictions do cross in the area but would like to help and get some kind of report
The number is 603-323-8581. You may get an answering machine but just leave a message.

I love to hike this area and you usually don't see these kind of incidents in that area but as the Chief said, it is a very isolated lot.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I haven't tried this but would like to see it happen.

Every once in a while you lose a credit card or it gets compromised. Your bank provides a new one. Assuming the expiration date is current, report it as stolen and instead of disposing it, leave it where it could be found.

Many check out counters have buttons that beckon security ... some security are just waiting for some excitement.

Having been a recent victim of this (probably the TJ Maxx deal), the M.O. is to try the card on iTunes and/or at a gas station pump to see if it is still good. From there, my particular card user wished to fly two to France, first class.

Tim

 

[Sasquatch]

Why on earth would you leave your wallet with $400 cash in the car? Granted, I have no idea how heavy that much money is since I've never had that much cash on me at one time, so maybe it would be a nuisance to carry on a day hike.

Is there ever a good reason to leave your wallet with credit cards, cash, id, etc. in the car? It's not like car break-ins are unheard of or a new occurrence.

It would be so great if break-ins just stopped happening, because it must suck big time to get back to your car and find it busted into. But since that's not likely to happen anytime soon, I will never understand why people leave wallets, gps, iPods, phones, etc in the car at the trail head.

I'm glad they didn't get to your wallet!

After about 15 years of no trouble I guess it's easy to get a false sense of security.Also I try to go as light as possible and the keys and wallet probably weigh half a pound.I'm am glad to say that I hid it well enough that it WAS still there when I got back.Most thieves are usually looking for the obvious and don't take too much time in their efforts.

 

[rocket21]

They can't trash the car if they're knocked out for 5-10 minutes, and then feel violently sick for a long time afterwards.

Yes, the getting shocked yourself would be a problem. There are a million reasons, of course, why this was not made available to the general population. It's still nice to THINK about, however....

Well, since we can't use a shocking device, perhaps I could rig up a device that would start blasting Phil Collins music. It worked against Manuel Noriega, and it would easily have the "knocked out for 5-10 minutes, and then feel violently sick for a long time afterwards" effect.

 

[erugs]

That's awful! But great they thought they had it all, yet missed your stash. Can't imagine having so much cash!

When we were at Nineteen Mile parking lot on Sunday, I noticed that the car next to ours had a MP3 player on the console belowthe radio. I wondered if it was left there as a "plant" to help capture anyone breaking in since that is a known problem area?

Years ago, at home, when I wasn't living alone, I would hide my "special treats" in a lima bean bag in the freezer. (The beans, yuck, went out into the compost pile and no one ever opened that bag but me.) I think I got the idea from a "can" that looked like it contained food but could be used as a "safe."

 

[jniehof]

FWIW, I "strip" my keys and wallet before leaving home. No change, no ATM card, no BPL card, no office keys--just license, some cash, one credit card, medical insurance, and my apartment keys. Takes ten seconds and means I don't hesitate about dropping that stuff in my pack.

So far the cat has not abused access to my ATM card.

 

[Sasquatch]

Just got off the phone with Sirius.Disconnected the stolen unit(it is now useless) and a new unit is on the way for free,but I don't think it's as nice as the one I had.This is the second Sirius radio I have had stolen and they replaced both of them for free.Pretty cool but makes sense because they don't want lose subscribers.Very difficult at work in silence,missing Howard and it's Mandatory Metallica month.

 

[Hiker Ruth]

Thank you for the warning

Sasquatch,
I just want to give you a big THANK YOU for spreading the word. I plan to do some snowshoeing very soon and really appreciate the warning - I've been lucky so far.

This is a great reminder to all of us that this can and does happen and we better be careful of what we keep in our vehicles. With the crappy economy we will no doubt be seeing a lot more of this. Thanks for allowing the rest of us to learn from your experience.

I always keep my wallet & keys with me when I'm hiking - I can't think of a safer place to keep it.

Wishing you happier trails,
Ruth

 

[MichaelJ]

Having been a recent victim of this (probably the TJ Maxx deal), the M.O. is to try the card on iTunes and/or at a gas station pump to see if it is still good.

And in fact, two uses in a row of the same card at the same gas station will set off red flags. Follow that with a purchase of sneakers and the fraud algorithms will turn your card off.

 

[Gillian]

Thieves, whatever shade or whatever they're taking are really the lowest sort. -Dr. Wu

Too true!! Nice job hiding the important stuff Rob - those thieves weren't too "smat" -suckers

 

[WildPeaks]

Yup, That s___!!
Of all the lots, I felt Ferncroft was one of the safer ones.

At least the Tamworth Police are willing to do something.
When someone tossed a rock through my friends car at "Break-in City" Appalachia on Rt. 2, the local cop acted like he could care less. Something about who gets the money, who patrols & handles places like that. The locals, State police, Forest service, etc. All arguing over it. THANKS!
I too kept extra gear & some cash in a small backpack in case we got soaked etc. Try to take as little as possible now.
But there are times you take extra stuff anyway, have to. Like snowshoes that you leave behind cause you don't need them.

Well, you can always do what my brother does when he flies out of the country. Leave the dirty laundry on top.
The luggage search is usually quick!

 

[andrewb]

Say it anit so! I always got the impression that Ferncroft was a good place. Statistically, maybe it is - along with the Royce TH. However, I had a car broken into at Royce and lost some stuff.

It's such a good idea to have a car with a trunk, you can hide a lot of stuff in there. Remember these lowlife losers can not see what's in a bag ... in my case a change of clothes only. They see stuff a bag and fantasize about finding lost treasure or something. True, they may wonder what lurks in your trunk, but I think it's best to have nothing visible in the car part.

I am concerned about my registration info. I wish in this "electronic" day and age, you were not required (archaically) to carry a stinking piece of paper around for your registration - but how often do cars get broken into, anyways? A bigger concern is the car being gone when I get back. That could literally be a killer in the worst situations, and at best still a monumental inconvenience.

 

[una_dogger]

So sorry to hear about your trouble, Rob.

My car was broken into at Ethan Pond TH - nothing brings a hike down more than returning to a broken into car.

 

[Pulker Pete]

Great Info

Thanks for this info. Stash and I were getting ready for a climb starting at Ferncroft. I'll make sure I leave nothing visible in the vehicle. I also used to leave a computer typed 8 X 11 note taped to the window stating no money, no MP3 players no camera's. Not sure if it helped or not but so far I have not experienced any brake-ins.

Pulker Pete

 

[Tuco]

So sorry to hear about your trouble, Rob.

My car was broken into at Ethan Pond TH - nothing brings a hike down more than returning to a broken into car.

I suspect that this isn't a rare occurance at Ethan Pond...

http://tuco.smugmug.com/gallery/3408175_9Jixj#190724937_PUneL-A-LB

 

[rocket21]

From the Tamworth e-mail group:

"This has been very disturbing to those of us who live on Ferncroft. Sweeter,
more dependable, honest neighbors you will not find anywhere. It is a small
community made up of good, kind, hardworking quality personalities that know and
interact with each other on a daily basis. We would be interested in knowing
what day, time of day and whether the hiker was parked over-night. Does anyone
know? The hiker's post did not reveal this. Thanks for any insight."

Can you let me know when you were parked there so that I can pass on this information?

 

[rocket21]

I received an e-mail from the other Ferncroft break-in victim:

"I was the other hiker who got broken into @ the Ferncroft Lot on March 17, 2009. I left the TH @ 12:45 PM and passed Sasquatch on the way up Passaconaway. He would have returned to the TH between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM and left a note on my car stating that his car had been broken into as well as mine. It's the first time I've been broken into in 15 years of hiking."

He also stated that there was $1,500 of damage to his car, and that even his change of clothes was taken!

 

[rocket21]

An encouraging update on the Ferncroft Break-In issue:

You can call either the Tamworth or Sandwich Police Departments in an emergency, or if your vehicle is broken into, and we will either respond, or have the department having jurisdiction respond, (Albany is the NH State Police or the Carroll County Sheriff's Office - Sandwich Police is dispatched by State Police, while Tamworth Police is dispatched by the Sheriff's Office) in any event either department will make sure an officer responds to your situation. And as just an FYI both departments have been making more rounds on Ferncroft Rd.

Sgt. Douglas Wyman
Sandwich Police Department

 

[Trail Bandit]

This bad economy has brought out the worst of the loosers, looking for something for free. Luckily, my car is old and nobody seems to want to steal it, so far. I don't lock the car doors so THEY don't have to smash the window to check for valuables. It has worked so far. The problem that I have had is that my home has been ripped off twice in the past 6 months, when I was off hiking. The insurance people require a complete list of what was stolen, how much you paid for it, etc. Then there is the depreciation and the deductable. You never know what they took until you go to get something and it isn't there. Try to write it off as an uninsured loss, and the IRS will give you a 6 month project to document the loss. This of course assumes you have a job and deductions are of any use. Death to the ****ers.

 

[RoySwkr]

(Albany is the NH State Police or the Carroll County Sheriff's Office - Sandwich Police is dispatched by State Police, while Tamworth Police is dispatched by the Sheriff's Office)

Of course once you are past the farmhouse on Dicey Mill Trail, if a brigand demands your money you need to call the Waterville Valley police or Grafton County sheriff - want to bet it will be handled by mutual aid

The problem that I have had is that my home has been ripped off twice in the past 6 months, when I was off hiking.

Sorry to hear that, what sort of technological deterrent are you working on

Nice photo of you at town mtg in Concord Monitor