TULSA, Okla. — Thousands of classic cars from across the country are rolling into Tulsa for the Route 66 Capital Cruise, and Tulsa police are warning owners that their prized vehicles could become targets for criminals.
More than 4,000 vehicles are registered for the Capital Cruise, according to Visit Tulsa's Renee McKenney. Tulsa is looking to break the current Guinness World Record for the largest vintage car parade. The current record stands at just under 2,500 cars.
With thousands of out-of-town visitors staying in hotels and rental homes, many will be leaving their vehicles parked outside. Police say this creates a major opportunity for criminals, warning that most older cars do not have anti-theft devices, making them easy targets — both for theft of the vehicles themselves and for belongings left inside.
Tulsa Police Officer Andre Baul said the value and rarity of vintage car parts makes them especially attractive to thieves.
"Understand there's going to be people that are going to look for those opportunities whether it be it may not be to even take the vehicle, it may take parts of the vehicle. These parts that are on these vintage vehicles are very expensive and very hard to find," Baul said.
He also urged owners to take steps to make their vehicles less appealing to criminals.
"Keep stuff out of your vehicles, make it as hard as possible for somebody to look at your vehicle and be like, oh yeah, that's a target," Baul said.
Officers are urging both locals and out-of-town visitors to keep their items secure and are reminding owners to never leave guns inside their vehicles at any time.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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