Key fob signals possibly used to burglarize vehicle in parking lot of Gold's Gym in Northridge

NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A car burglary in Northridge is raising questions about how the suspect was able to pull it off, and it may have involved the use of a universal key fob.

It happened last Thursday in the parking lot of Gold's Gym on Tampa Avenue and Nordhoff Street.

Henry Curi, an ABC7 news writer, said he parked his Toyota RAV4 in the parking structure around 3:15 p.m. When he returned around 6 p.m., he noticed something was wrong.

"My car wasn't shattered. The window wasn't shattered. My car door wasn't damaged or anything, but once I got to my car, I saw that my seat was reclined all the way back, and I saw all my things tossed around," he said.

The crime was caught on video thanks to a Tesla and its motion sensor cameras, which was parked next to Curi's RAV4.

In the footage, you can see the suspect walking around the parking lot, apparently looking for a vehicle that would pick up their fob's signal.

Curi's RAV4 appeared to have possibly picked up the signal. That's when the suspect approaches the vehicle, easily getting in.

The suspect stole a work badge, a pair of Ray-Bans, a backpack and a new toothbrush. Curi said he was confused because he's sure he locked his car.

So how did the suspect do it?

"They're called grabbers or key-cloning devices, and what they do is they pick up the signal from your key fob, which a lot of people use to lock the car," explained law enforcement expert Bruce Thomas. "Then, once they get the signal, they can go up and down rows of cars and then steal it, and then basically use it against you to get into your vehicle."

Curi said he wants more people to be aware of this type of theft.

"No damage, no anything," he said. "Kind of leaving no trail of the crime, which is very unsettling, you know, for car owners. That we think our cars are safe, but in reality, there are not because they're just new methods going around of how to steal your property."

Curi has since filed a police report and shared the suspects' image with the gym so more people can be aware.

One shopper in the area said she takes the necessary precautions to prevent things like this from happening to her.

"I think if you have anything that's very important, I think you should take it with you, just the bottom line," said Takecha Brown. "People might leave a watch or ring or something. Take everything out of your car when you're going in a place, because you never know what may happen."

No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.