Abstract: An anti-theft device disables the engine of an automotive vehicle during an attempted robbery by breaking the rotor of the engine's distributor. The distributor has a plurality of electrodes and the rotor is moved through a circular path during operation of the engine to make electrical contact with the electrodes to generate sparks in the engine's combustion chamber. A stopper element mounted to be moved between a first position where the stopper element is in the path of the rotor and a second position where the stopper element is displaced from the path of the rotor. A solenoid selectively moves the stopper element between the first and second positions by manual actuating a hidden switch. The rotor is made of a material which fractures upon engaging the stopper element, so that, with the stopper element in the rotor's path, the rotor is fractured to prevent contact with the electrodes and the generation of sparks.