Car stolen as owner waits for it to warm up

A woman who started her car and went back inside her apartment while she waited for it to warm up emerged to watch a thief driving away in her vehicle.

The victim told police she started her car just before 7 a.m. Friday morning and stepped back into her apartment on Oriole Drive for just a minute. When she went back outside to get into her car, she saw it leaving the parking lot, heading south on Oriole Drive to the nearby bypass.

She was unable to see who was inside her 2004 Chevrolet Impala since the windows were still frosted over. Her quick call to On-Star, hoping it could pinpoint the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle, was futile as she discovered the account on the car was inactive.

Believing the thief likely took advantage of a window of opportunity when he saw the unattended, running car, police are urging motorists not to leave running cars unattended.

‘There’s a temptation for many people to go outside, start their cars and let them warm up and let the window defrost while they go back inside to keep warm,’ said McMinnville Police Major Bryan Denton. ‘However, we strongly urge against this, especially in highly populated areas such as apartment complexes since you never know who’s watching, and you never know when a child might come upon a running vehicle and get inside.’