It's February, about an hour after midnight, and three men in oversized clothing and hats walk silently down a deserted residential street in Long Beach, California. Each one goes up to a car in the area, takes out a small electronic device, and pulls on the passenger side car handle. The first man tries a car in the street. It doesn't open, and he walks on. The other two men try an Acura SUV and an Acura sedan in one home's driveway. Both of the cars unlock, their overhead lamps going on. The two men rummage through the cars, taking what they find. They shut the car doors and walk off.
Video of this scene was recorded by a surveillance camera placed in the driveway where the two Acuras were parked. The Long Beach Police (LBPD) department says that eight vehicles in total were “accessed and burglarized” in the same neighborhood that night. But despite having footage of the crime, the LBPD was not able to determine how the electronic devices worked or who the suspects were.
In April, the Long Beach Police posted the surveillance video on YouTube, desperate to figure out just how the electronic device used by the three suspects works. Ars spoke to a Long Beach Police spokeswoman who confirmed that after another two months, the department still hasn't come to a conclusive answer.
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