Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie did it in 60 seconds in the movie by the same name, but in reality, a car theft can happen in considerably less time.
All it takes is a few seconds of inattention on the part of the owner for the thieves to jump in and drive off with the vehicle. To show this, the Moline Police Department in Illinois is releasing CCTV footage of their 39th car theft this year.
In the grainy video, which is also available at the bottom of the page, a Ford SUV is seen rolling in at a gas station. It’s actually a stolen car and it carries suspects looking for their next victim.
“The silver Ford SUV is a stolen car, dropping off the offender to steal the black Chevy that was left unattended and running,” the PD says in a post on the official Facebook page.
A passenger jumps out of the SUV and runs to the Chevy, gets inside and both vehicles drive off. By the time the Chevy owner noticed that their car was missing, it was long gone – and they probably thought they could just “pop inside” the gas station to buy a little something or pay for gas and nothing would happen if they left the engine running.
That’s the worst possible assumption because car thieves are counting on you thinking this way. The key to deterring them from taking your vehicle is in your pocket, the PD continues.
“Please remember to lock your cars and take the keys with you. Don’t leave your vehicles running and unattended,” the post continues. “These thieves are quick and their pursuit of victim vehicles is relentless.”
On that note, also make sure you never leave valuables in sight, so as to deter thieves from breaking into your car to steal them.
In the grainy video, which is also available at the bottom of the page, a Ford SUV is seen rolling in at a gas station. It’s actually a stolen car and it carries suspects looking for their next victim.
“The silver Ford SUV is a stolen car, dropping off the offender to steal the black Chevy that was left unattended and running,” the PD says in a post on the official Facebook page.
A passenger jumps out of the SUV and runs to the Chevy, gets inside and both vehicles drive off. By the time the Chevy owner noticed that their car was missing, it was long gone – and they probably thought they could just “pop inside” the gas station to buy a little something or pay for gas and nothing would happen if they left the engine running.
That’s the worst possible assumption because car thieves are counting on you thinking this way. The key to deterring them from taking your vehicle is in your pocket, the PD continues.
“Please remember to lock your cars and take the keys with you. Don’t leave your vehicles running and unattended,” the post continues. “These thieves are quick and their pursuit of victim vehicles is relentless.”
On that note, also make sure you never leave valuables in sight, so as to deter thieves from breaking into your car to steal them.