CCTV Captures Brazen Collaroy Plateau Car Theft
Northern Beaches Police are investigating a swift car theft on Essilia Street, Collaroy Plateau, the latest in a pattern of vehicle thefts hitting the suburb and the broader region.
Security footage obtained by Manly Observer captures the entire operation unfolding Wednesday night into Thursday morning, 29 to 30 April. A car pulls up to the property at night. A figure emerges, moves quickly to a parked car in the driveway, and within moments the engine turns over. The driver reverses onto the street and speeds off after the first vehicle.
The theft occurred sometime between 1:30pm Wednesday and 6:30am Thursday, when residents discovered the car missing and reported it to police.
How the thief obtained the car keys remains unclear. Manly Observer has reported several other car thefts across the area in recent months, including a break-in at Claudare Street, Collaroy Plateau in February where thieves stole car keys to a Mazda CX-3, later recovered in Narrabeen, and a rare Porsche 356 stolen from a Collaroy Plateau address in July 2025. There are also attempted thefts in between that periods.
These thefts and several others have been investigated under Strikeforce Sweetenham.
Northern Beaches Police Area Command hasn’t yet released details on either vehicle involved in the latest theft. Anyone with CCTV, dashcam footage, or other information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
In other crime news…
Police enforcement operation targeting shoplifting and anti-social behaviour
On Thursday, 30 April 2026, Northern Beaches Police conducted a local enforcement operation targeting retail theft and anti-social behaviour.
The focus was on young people who were suspected of stealing from Northern Beaches retailers at Howard Avenue in Dee Why.
The operation was led by the Northern Beaches Youth Officer and staffed by Northern Beaches Police and loss prevention officers.
Police enforcement action included issuing five criminal infringement notices that carry a penalty of $300, and five youth cautions issued in accordance with the Young Offenders Act.
In addition, police arrested a 15-year-old boy at a supermarket on Howard Avenue in Dee Why for allegedly stealing property on 26 April 2026. He was taken to Manly Police Station, where he was charged with ‘breach of bail’ and ‘larceny’. He was refused bail and will appear before Children’s Court on Friday, 1 May 2026.
The Northern Beaches Police effort is part of a broade NSW Police campaign to reduce retail crime codenamed Operation Percentile. The strategy includes building stronger relationships with NSW-based retailers and increasing legal action for offences within retail premises.
Business e-mail compromise leads to $80,000 loss for Terrey Hills company
On 20 April 2026, a Terrey Hills company paid $80,000 to a supplier who presented an invoice via email.
Unfortunately, the invoice was modified by a scammer who swapped the legitimate supplier’s bank details with their own.
The company later realised the funds went to a scammer’s account. The victim reviewed correspondence and noticed a slight variation in the emails from the scammer that purported to be from the supplier.
The victim reported the fraud to the bank and police.
Police say they’ve seen a resurgence in this type of fraud and recommend taking extra precautions before transferring funds, such as telephoning the intended recipient and confirming bank account details.
