An all-black 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat was reported stolen Wednesday from the Haltom High School parking lot by a person with a student card who police say hired a locksmith to unlock the vehicle .
According to Haltom City police, the car thief contacted All Auto Tech, a local locksmith company owned by Edgar Echemendia.
Echemendia, who police said is not a suspect in the case, told NBC 5 he communicated with a customer via text about unlocking the muscle car parked at Haltom High School. Echemendia shared a screenshot of the conversation with NBC 5.
In the text exchange, the customer said he needed a key for the Challenger and asked how much it would cost. Echemendia replied, “$200.” A few texts later, the customer said, “My car is at school, I don’t know if you’re willing to come to my school.”
“When I got to the place, the boy showed me his school ID,” Echemendia said.
Echemendia said the customer also asked for a key fob to be programmed. However, Echemendia said he did not ask for additional identification.
“Sometimes people have to show insurance or everything, but in this case, I don’t need it because the guy is from the school and he showed me the ID, you know,” Echemendia said.
Echemendia said the school resource officer approached him after the vehicle’s alarm went off, but neither suspected anything unusual about the “student.”
In an email, a Birdville Independent School District spokesperson said, “We take these measures seriously and work closely with law enforcement. However, we are not sharing details of the plan to protect the integrity of the additional security measures “.
According to the Texas Locksmith Association, locksmiths must follow the guidelines of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Under the Privacy Act, the customer must provide government-issued identification and a signed authorization that the customer owns the property or has the right to lawfully access the property.
Echemendia, however, only had the cellphone number of his client, who he said took off without paying. Echemendia provided the phone number to NBC 5. That number has been disconnected.
The vehicle belongs to Jason Reddick.
“It’s no longer enough to lock the car and make sure it’s locked. You probably need a wheel lock. Probably more than a GPS device,” Reddick said.
Reddick said there were two Apple AirTags in the vehicle but they were discarded.
“I guess they found it at some point, threw it away because they basically tracked it to Irving,” Reddick said. “Around Bedford, it was thrown away.”
Reddick said he had let his son take the car for the day. Now, wanting to hold both Echemendia and the person who took the car accountable, she said she would also like to see her personal belongings returned.
“Everything my son had for baseball was in the trunk of that car,” Reddick said. “Everything I bought him over the years.”
Reddick, meanwhile, has moved forward to file a formal complaint with the Texas Locksmiths Association.
Haltom City police said the investigation into the robbery is ongoing.
