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The sheriff’s department calls the pair “Jeep Creepers.”

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have to warn readers that airport parking lots are fertile hunting grounds for thieves. The problem seems to be on the rise in many areas, but usually the thieves steal whole vehicles or at least take the wheels, leaving someone’s ride on cinderblocks. However, two Florida men decided instead they would troll airport parking and steal the headlights off Jeep Wranglers.

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Called the “Jeep Creepers” in an official Broward County Sheriff’s Office press release, 22-year-old Jonathan Quintero and 25-year-old Diogenes Morel Martinez are alleged to have pulled this Jeep Wrangler headlight theft stunt, along with swiping some grilles from the rigs, numerous times over the last several months. However, on the afternoon of September 16 their crime spree was cut short by law enforcement.

Detectives were on scene at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when they witnessed Quintero and Martinez steal both the headlights and grilles off two Jeep Wranglers in the long-term parking.

From there, detectives followed the pair as they left the airport and went to Sawgrass Mills Mall, trying to steal more Jeep headlights. That’s when both were arrested and allegedly confessed to the thefts.

Investigators believe these two have stolen the headlights and grilles from dozens of Jeeps that have sat in the parking lot at FLL, Miami International Airport, and Palm Beach International Airport for several months.

Not to congratulate these guys, but stealing smaller but admittedly expensive items off Jeeps is pretty ingenious, especially since a lot of Wrangler owners have upgraded to even pricier aftermarket equipment. We’re glad law enforcement caught them, but we know these sorts of schemes are always a threat.

Anywhere vehicles sit for hours or days without being driven are at risk of thieves prowling for easy scores. This is why not only parking lots/structures for airports but also hospitals, malls, movie theaters, universities, sports arenas, etc. all carry an amount of theft risk. This is why we like getting an Uber or having a friend drop us off at the airport.

Images via Broward County Sheriff’s Office