LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. – A whistleblower who works within the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area came forward exclusively to FOX 11 with claims of a crime ring using a system of tunnels to make stolen cars disappear.
“I would say on average, it happens at least once a week,” the whistleblower said.
The worker wants to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. However, he claims a tunnel along the Rio Hondo is used like a garage by thieves trying to hide stolen vehicles and other expensive items.
“They come into the channel,” the whistleblower said. “They hide the vehicles, because they know whether the car has LoJack or not, or some sort of GPS tracker on it, once it’s under 3 feet of soil the signal is lost.”
He estimates the one specific tunnel goes about nine or 10 miles.
“Once you go inside there, there are other small tunnels that branch off,” the whistleblower said. “Law enforcement is not going to risk their lives in there.”
Just two weeks ago, SkyFOX was above a wild police pursuit in Pico Rivera where a driver in a stolen truck used the same exact tunnel to escape from authorities. The truck could clearly be seen driving into the tunnel with deputies nearby.
“For me seeing it, it was just another business day for them,” the whistleblower said. “I was not surprised at all.”
The whistleblower then took FOX 11 to another location within Whittier Narrows about a mile and a half from the tunnel. The man claims thieves take the stolen cars from the tunnels to the other location at night to strip them of parts.
Then, while he’s working in the area, he finds the vehicles abandoned and stripped down.
“They are their own band of brothers, their own group, which they work with each other to barter and trade stolen goods,” the whistleblower said.
The worker says he’d like to see some sort of cover put on the tunnel to prevent thieves from using it.
A spokesperson from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided the written statement below.
“The land surrounding the dam, located just west of the 605 Freeway and the San Gabriel River, is federally owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and covers more than 1,500 acres,” the LASD spokesperson said. “While no organized crime ring has been identified, ongoing criminal activity in this specific area is being actively addressed. This area has long been a gathering place for unhoused individuals. While not everyone there engages in criminal activity, many do, resulting in repeated law enforcement calls for service. Over the years, arrests related to narcotics and other crimes have been made, and stolen vehicles have also been recovered at the location. The Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station has been closely collaborating with city and county officials, as well as community service providers, to conduct cleanup operations and provide social services and housing assistance to those in need, always with the permission and coordination of the Army Corps of Engineers. These efforts are aimed at both restoring the land and maintaining public safety.”
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