RICHMOND, Va. -- A Richmond father is sounding the alarm after a thief stole his car, which was running and warming up, outside his Westover Hills home early Thursday morning.
Jonathan White said his wife, who is a nurse, had started the family's Subaru Outback to warm it up around 6:30 a.m.
She stepped back inside the house to grab her infant daughter. When she came back outside three minutes later, White said their car was gone.
"She had all the baby stuff in there, her purse, her wallet, IDs, credit cards," White said. "The only thing not in there was the baby."
Jonathan White
Additionally, White said he learned through the Nextdoor App that his was not the only vehicle stolen.
In fact, Lt. Harold Giles with Richmond Police warned citizens in a post on the app to be vigilant since eight cars had been stolen in sector 312 in just a week.
"Actually, there was another one being taken when I reported mine, so it's some kind of an organized effort," White explained. "People are looking for the opportunity where the percentage of the neighborhood likes to warm their cars up."
A depiction of White's stolen Subaru.
Whoever stole White's outback is still driving it as Crime Insider sources said his E-ZPass pinged the car near two downtown tolls early Friday morning.
White, who agreed to share his story in hopes of sparing others the same misfortune, is optimistic the culprit will be captured.
He admitted leaving the car running was not a wise decision, but hopes others will not make the same mistake since criminals could be watching and waiting on these frigid mornings.
If you have information that could help detectives, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or submit a tip online at http://www.7801000.com. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smart phones may also be used. All three Crime Stoppers methods of contact are anonymous.
