FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A Fort Bend County family is searching for answers after a 17-year-old’s GMC Sierra was stolen from his driveway, one of two similar truck thefts reported in the same area within less than an hour.
The theft comes as new national data shows the Houston metropolitan area remains one of the country’s biggest hot spots for stolen vehicles, despite a significant decline in vehicle thefts nationwide.
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The family says Fabio David Arboleda’s white 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 was parked and locked outside their home when it was stolen around 3:50 a.m. last Tuesday.
According to the family, the truck was locked, the alarm was activated and the key fob was still inside the house.
Surveillance video from the family’s Ring camera captured the theft.
Less than an hour earlier, the family says another white GMC truck was stolen several blocks away in the Grand Lakes area.
It is unclear whether investigators believe the two thefts are connected.
The Arboleda family filed a police report after discovering the truck was missing. The case was later forwarded to a Fort Bend County vehicle theft unit.
The family says investigators were able to determine that the truck was detected later that morning by a Flock license plate reader in Katy. However, the vehicle has not been recovered.
For the family, the truck also carries significant sentimental and financial value. Fabio’s family says the 17-year-old purchased it using money he received as an inheritance from his grandfather.
Fabio is an 11th-grade student who his family says earns straight A’s, participates in the National Honor Society and Naval JROTC and is training to become a pilot.
But his family’s experience is also part of a much larger vehicle-theft problem affecting drivers across the Houston area.
Houston ranks fourth nationally for vehicle thefts
New data released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, or NICB, shows 23,659 vehicles were reported stolen in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metropolitan area in 2025.
That was the fourth-highest total among U.S. metropolitan areas, behind only Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
The 10 metropolitan areas with the highest number of vehicle thefts in 2025 were:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim – 53,911
- New York-Newark-Jersey City – 27,138
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin – 24,299
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands – 23,659
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont – 22,197
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington – 21,638
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington – 19,117
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria – 15,204
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario – 14,111
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue – 12,684
NICB says more than one-third of all vehicle thefts nationwide occurred in the 10 metropolitan areas with the highest theft totals. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)
Texas also recorded the second-highest number of stolen vehicles in the country in 2025.
NICB reports 75,269 vehicles were stolen in Texas, second only to California, which recorded 136,988 thefts.
Illinois, Florida and New York rounded out the top five states. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)
Vehicle thefts falling nationally
There is some encouraging news.
Vehicle thefts dropped significantly across the United States in 2025.
NICB reports 659,880 vehicles were stolen nationwide last year, representing a 23% decline from 2024 and the lowest theft level in several decades.
That followed another 17% decline in 2024.
However, NICB says a vehicle was still stolen somewhere in the United States approximately every 48 seconds in 2025. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)
What are the most stolen vehicles?
The GMC Sierra involved in the Fort Bend County case does not appear on NICB’s list of the 10 most frequently stolen vehicles nationwide in 2025.
However, two other full-size pickup trucks do.
According to NICB, the most stolen vehicles nationwide in 2025 were:
- Hyundai Elantra – 21,732
- Honda Accord – 17,797
- Hyundai Sonata – 17,687
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500 – 16,764
- Honda Civic – 12,725
- Kia Optima – 11,521
- Ford F-150 – 10,102
- Toyota Camry – 9,833
- Honda CR-V – 9,809
- Nissan Altima – 8,445
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was the fourth-most stolen vehicle in the country, while the Ford F-150 ranked seventh. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)
KPRC 2 is working to learn whether law enforcement agencies are seeing a particular increase in thefts involving GMC Sierras, Chevrolet Silverados or other full-size pickups in Fort Bend County and across the Houston area.
How can thieves steal a locked vehicle without the key?
The Fort Bend County case also raises a question many vehicle owners may have: How can a newer vehicle disappear from a driveway when it is locked, the alarm is activated and the owner still has the key?
KPRC 2 is asking local law enforcement about the methods thieves are currently using to target newer vehicles and whether investigators are seeing criminals use electronic technology to bypass factory security systems.
Investigators are also being asked whether thieves are targeting particular makes and models and whether multiple thefts occurring within a short distance and time frame could indicate organized activity.
Can an AirTag help find a stolen car?
NICB recommends drivers consider adding layers of security beyond simply locking their doors.
The organization specifically lists anti-theft technology including steering-wheel locks, audible alarms, kill switches and aftermarket GPS tracking devices such as AirTags.
Tracking technology could give owners or investigators another way to determine where a stolen vehicle has gone.
However, drivers who locate a stolen vehicle through a tracker should provide that information to law enforcement rather than attempting to recover the vehicle themselves.
What should you do if your vehicle has OnStar?
For drivers of GM vehicles equipped with OnStar, the service may provide another potential tool after a vehicle is reported stolen.
Vehicle owners should first contact law enforcement and file a stolen-vehicle report. Owners can then contact OnStar and provide the appropriate police-report information so the service can potentially assist law enforcement.
Depending on the vehicle and available service, certain OnStar stolen-vehicle assistance features may help authorities locate a vehicle or prevent it from being restarted.
KPRC 2 is asking local law enforcement how quickly drivers should contact services such as OnStar after a theft and how those systems are used during an active stolen-vehicle investigation.
What is a Flock camera?
The Arboleda family’s truck was reportedly detected by a Flock license plate reader after it was stolen.
Automatic license plate reader systems can capture information when a vehicle passes a camera and alert law enforcement when a plate associated with a stolen vehicle is detected.
However, a camera detection does not necessarily provide continuous GPS-style tracking of a vehicle.
That means a stolen vehicle could pass a camera and continue traveling before officers are able to locate it.
KPRC 2 is working to learn more about how Fort Bend County law enforcement uses Flock cameras during stolen-vehicle investigations and how often alerts ultimately lead to recoveries.
How can you make your vehicle harder to steal?
NICB recommends several basic steps for drivers:
- Park in well-lit areas whenever possible.
- Make sure all windows are completely closed.
- Lock your vehicle every time you leave it.
- Never leave a running vehicle unattended.
- Take your keys with you.
- Consider adding another layer of security, such as a steering-wheel lock, alarm, kill switch or GPS tracking device.
Even with vehicle thefts dropping nationally, NICB warns that no community or individual is immune.
KPRC 2 will speak with Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Constable Chad Norvell about what investigators are seeing locally, which vehicles are being targeted and what drivers can do to make their cars and trucks more difficult to steal.
We are also speaking with one of the families affected by the recent Fort Bend County thefts to learn more about what happened and the impact of losing their vehicle.
KPRC2’S Re’Chelle Turner will continue to update the article throughout the day.