APD issues new warning about long-running repair scam

ATLANTA — Atlanta police issued a new warning about what they call a car repair scam that's been going on for years.

Investigators shared surveillance video that shows Orlando Hernandez aka Roberto Aguilar disabling a man's truck outside a Texaco gas station on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Northeast Atlanta.

In the video Hernandez is seen walking up to a parked truck and looking around before he slips underneath and disables the transmission in less than fifteen seconds.

Lieutenant Jeff Cantin told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri Hernandez asked the driver with a hand motion if he's having trouble shifting gears and then offers to fix the problem in exchange for a hundred dollar tip.

Danny Bolden is familiar with Hernandez' face and his routine. "I tried to start it put it in gear and it wouldn't do anything", Bolden told Viteri of his December encounter with Hernandez outside a store on North Avenue.

The disabled Army veteran said he was suspicious immediately when Hernandez walked up and offered to help. He called police when Hernandez took off running.

Seth Jones manages Midtown tire on Ponce de Leon and said he's been familiar with Hernandez for fifteen years. He said he often targets American made trucks or SUVs because it's easy to unclip the cable that lets the driver shift gears. "The most common symptom is when you try to take the car out of park the shifter moves with no resistance", Jones explained the fix is just as simple, "He usually goes back up here snaps it into place and voila the car is fixed it's a miracle."

According to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office Hernandez was most recently released on January 18th on bond and probation. Atlanta Police have arrested him seventeen times since 2008. Investigators said often victims are reluctant and embarrassed to file reports which can make it harder to charge Hernandez.

WSBTV