Several Honda drivers across Teaneck woke up to broken locks and torn apart steering wheels on Wednesday morning.
"Airbag was gone, completely gone. And then I went in the house and I'm almost crying," said Teri Barnes, who found her airbag stolen. "And I told my youngest daughter. And she comes out and she looks at her sister's car, her airbag is stolen, and then she looks at hers. Her airbag is stolen."
Three cars in one family were left damaged despite being parked on the safe, residential street of Madison Avenue.
"I feel hurt. That somebody came, and we don't know who, we don't know where they're from, came and violated, my two daughters and myself and my neighbor," Barnes said.
A neighbor's camera captured footage, showing how fast the culprits were able to rip the airbag out of her car.
The thieves broke the locks but sometimes smashed the windows on Lucy Avenue.
One college student said it ruined her day.
"Yeah, I cried. Because, like, I had an early morning class," Hyojin Jeon said.
Teaneck Mayor Mark Schwartz says he's confirmed 11 incidents between 1 and 2 a.m., but police are taking reports of dozens more.
"One car was actually stolen, and the reason why it was stolen was when they go to grab the bag, to check, to see if the car is on or could be turned on in. And the fob was in the car," Schwartz said.
Honda airbags seem to be the new Hyundai catalytic converters.
A club across the steering wheel can serve as a deterrent, so can cameras.
"Make sure your cameras are there. Perhaps park in the driveway," Schwartz said. "It shouldn't be the way people live, but unfortunately, that's a time that we're dealing with right now where cars are expensive, repair pricing is expensive, and of course, airbags are in need after every accident."
Barnes said she filed a claim.
"I don't know how much it's going to be, but I know the deductible is $500," Barnes said.
Without insurance, properly replacing an airbag can set you back a couple thousand dollars.
Teaneck's mayor told Eyewitness News the thieves, in most cases on Wednesday morning, picked cars on streets that were close to Route 4, where they could make a quick getaway.
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