Thieves use key fobs to steal cars with push-to-start feature | What you can do to protect yourself

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Another warning has been issued in Montgomery County about an influx in car thefts. This time, the Conshohocken Police Department is sounding the alarm.

"Am I concerned? Yeah. I'm concerned," said Todd Smith from Conshohocken.

Smith told Action News he was worried because police said most thieves had targeted newer model Hondas, like his, and other cars with the "push-to-start" feature.

Mark Petroski's brand-new Honda CRV was stolen in July.

"Right before I left for the airport, I noticed my car was gone," Petroski said.

Petroski said police told him the thieves were likely able to use the signal of his key fob to access his car.

"We had our keys on the other side of this wall. It's, for sure, far enough that the car won't unlock. But, they think the thieves magnified the key fob's signal to the point the keys will unlock and start the car," he explained.

Action News reported on similar thefts in April in Upper Merion Township. Police there said thieves targeted apartment complexes in the Gulph Mills area, stealing newer model Hondas in a matter of minutes.

In nearby Bridgeport, police are giving out steering wheel locks to residents to combat car thefts.

Conshohocken police are now asking people to lock their cars, know where their key fob is, and invest in an anti-theft device, like a wheel lock or a Faraday box to store their keys.

Police say the boxes will block the radio frequency used by your keys to communicate with your car. They say thieves can capture these signals while your keys are in your house.

Petroski bought a Faraday box as an added layer of protection for his new car.

"It's a metal box, so it keeps from the keys being read at all," he told Action News.

Police in Conshohocken say they are still trying to figure out who is responsible for these recent car thefts.