Warning Gym-Goers! New York State Police Say To Be Vigilant For This

A lot of people do this on a pretty regular basis.  But New York Troopers are warning people that it could cause you huge problems.

How many times have you done this exact thing?  You go to the gym.  You head into the locker room.  You get changed into your gym clothes.  You throw your bag into a locker and you head out to get your workout in.

It seems like a pretty harmless chain of events and a lot of people do it every day.  But officials are warning that one big step was missed there.

You need a lock on your locker

Officials are saying that it's more important than ever to make sure when you go to the gym that you put a lock on the locker that you're using for the day.  If the locks aren't already provided, you need to bring one of your own (if the gym allows it).  Lock up the things you put in that locker.

Thieves are stealing cars while you're at the gym

You might be thinking that the things you're putting in that locker aren't that important.  Maybe you've got some work clothes in there and a bag.  But that's not what the thieves are after.  According to State Police, thieves have been hitting up gym lockers to steal car keys while you're on the floor working out.  They look for unlocked lockers, then go through pockets to find car keys.  Before you know it, you're stranded at the gym after your car has been stolen.

"Specifically in the last couple of weeks, if not months, [thieves target] Planet Fitness, these larger gyms, with big locker rooms. We have people going in there and distracting the front desk while other people go into the locker rooms. They're solely looking for keys to vehicles and unlocked lockers. They're not taking the other belongings, coats, bags, extra sneakers. They're literally just taking the keys to the vehicle, going back out into the parking lot, and stealing the vehicles,"  - Trooper James O'Callaghan to WGRZ