BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Rob Nemeth says he was finishing up some work at his car repair shop near Bailey Avenue in Buffalo Saturday around 7:00 p.m. when he noticed the hood to one of his spare cars popped open.
“I found a bunch of kids back there stealing batteries,” he said. “I got on the phone with 911 and I was chasing them.”
Nemeth says he chased the suspects into the woods but then they got away.
“They got away on 4 wheelers and dirt bikes and I could no longer make that chase,” he said.
He says the suspects took off down the railroad tracks nearby.
Nemeth says he called Buffalo Police for help at 7:04 p.m. Saturday, but says officers didn’t arrive until close to midnight. He says by that time, he had left.
Buffalo Police say they were inundated with calls, and larceny isn’t as high of priority as the other calls they were receiving.
“My father was a Buffalo cop I have a lot of respect for the police but I think there’s a lot of politics involved in the way things are run here in the city right now but I felt like 5 hours is a long time,” he said.
Friday, two miles away on Bailey, thieves also hit RDA Sales & Service.
Security video obtained by 7 Eyewitness News shows a group of people using stolen key fobs to get into eight parked cars and drive them off the lot.
Business owners say they feel their stolen property is not a top concern for the city or law enforcement.
“How do you recoup that,” Nemeth said. “I mean that’s the stuff that’s going to drive people out of the City of Buffalo.”
Buffalo Police say one arrest has been made in the RDA theft and they are still investigating.
