Cars were stolen from two separate Nassau County carwashes this month, police say

Nassau Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Smith told News 12 that an Audi was stolen from Miracle Hand Wash on Atlantic Avenue in Oceanside and a Mercedes-Benz from the Great Neck Car Wash on Northern Boulevard.

"We haven't had yet anybody pretend to be a worker, they just blended in and got out very quickly and jumped into the seat," Smith says. "In one case, they actually took the worker and threw him out of the car."

In both cases, police say the person who stole the car was wearing a mask and entered the car after it was cleaned.

There is no word on if the thefts are related.

Police say high-end vehicles are being targeted. They say a good way to protect yourself is to pay attention to the car while it is being cleaned and be wary of any suspicious people lingering near your car.

"It's all about personal vigilance and having an interest in where your car is during the whole process," Smith says.

Police have stepped up patrols around car washes and have distributed flyers throughout Nassau County with those tips.

The owners of Americans Car War in Roslyn say their store has around three dozen camera, take the key fobs out and pay very close attention to the safety of their customers' cars so they can enjoy the experience of going to a car wash.

"We give each customer a receipt with their number on it and it matches up when we give them their car," says Janey Elias.

They say they have an even more watchful eye after what happened to the other businesses.