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Cable crime in Chemnitz: E-charging stations under attack!
In Chemnitz, a 36-year-old was arrested after stealing charging cables from e-charging stations. Investigations are ongoing.
Cable crime in Chemnitz: E-charging stations under attack!
On Tuesday night, the police in Chemnitz arrested another suspect who is suspected of stealing cables from fast-charging stations. A security guard alerted the police to the theft in a parking lot on Chemnitzer Strasse and informed the police how MDR reported. The suspect, a 36-year-old man, was later checked after police officers noticed two cyclists without lights on Arno-Schreiter-Straße. While one managed to escape, the other was caught.
When checking the 36-year-old, the officers found various cutting tools in his backpack, including pruning shears with metal shavings. The man's bicycle, a Cube model, had already been reported stolen in Lichtenstein in 2019. The police have now started an investigation to find out how the suspect got the bike and whether he is responsible for the current theft of the charging cables. The property damage amounts to several thousand euros, and it remains to be seen what further information will come to light and how Day24 supplemented.
Growing problem of cable theft
The incident is not an isolated incident. Cables are repeatedly stolen from e-charging stations, which has now become systematic vandalism. In Chemnitz and other cities it is becoming more and more common for electric car drivers to stand in front of “de-cabled” fast charging stations. Loud Mercury Group-wide providers such as EnBW have recorded over 1,000 cable thefts since June 2025. In comparison, there were only about 20 cases per year until 2024.
The financial consequences for providers are enormous. The damage per stolen cable is between 3,000 and 8,000 euros. In total, this leads to millions in damages, even though the material value of the cables is only between 60 and 80 euros. Repairs to charging stations have also extended to six weeks or longer, due to shortages of replacement cables and a shortage of technicians. To counteract this, providers are increasingly relying on security measures such as lighting, video surveillance and acoustic alarms. Experts are even calling for cable theft to be legally classified as sabotage of critical infrastructure.
What measures are taken to combat the problem sustainably will be crucial not only for the safety of the charging infrastructure, but also for the trust of electric car drivers in this type of mobility. The incident in Chemnitz shows once again that there is an urgent need for action.