Anonymous wrote:That sucks. Thanks for posting here--it's a good lesson for others not to do the same. I hope they find it soon and any damage is covered by insurance--or that it's found in such a bad condition that insurance pays you a lot and you can get a new one.

once its out of your hands, you don't want it back. pray that it never gets found until after you get your check from the insurance company.

sucks that your going to be out the 1000 bucks plus any deductible. you'll get just barely what its worth....

the biggest PITA is having to deal with credit cards, new drivers lic, etc. And lets not forget the joy of having to go car shopping essentially under duress.

good luck OP....

Anonymous wrote:It was not stolen. Ironically near me we had a Dunkin’ Donuts right by house and moms and dads in winter would drive a block to it leave car running and pip in to grab pre-ordered coffee.

Crooks say in parking lot and would jump in and take cars. They caught a few and pretty much got a slap on wrist.

Turns out they could only be charged possession of stolen property. They could not be charged with breaking and entering or even car theft. Technically they did not steal the car the owners left doors unlocked with key available.

Kinda like someone walks in open front door is trespassing vs. breaking and entry into house.

So your car was not stolen, well legally

You're full of s%^t. You do not have to 'break in' to property to get charged.


I'm too lazy to find a better source, but: "Even though many believe that “breaking and entering” may mean only breaking a window or breaking down a door, the fact remains that any type of physical force exerted against a home, business, storage locker or any secure structure—even pushing open an unlocked door—can produce breaking and entering charges. “B & E” is the lowest level of burglary crime (often a gateway offense) that can keep a suspect in jail while the property owner inventories his or her properties and possessions. If items are missing, a burglary charge is likely to be added."

https://virginialawfirm.net/virginia-burglary-lawyer.html

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, OP. But you should have known better. IN ANY NEIGHBROHOOD!

Really? Durning the 20+ years that I've lived here, we've never had a car stolen in our suburban neighborhood. I would guess that a lot of posters could say the same thing

It was not stolen. Ironically near me we had a Dunkin’ Donuts right by house and moms and dads in winter would drive a block to it leave car running and pip in to grab pre-ordered coffee.

Crooks say in parking lot and would jump in and take cars. They caught a few and pretty much got a slap on wrist.

Turns out they could only be charged possession of stolen property. They could not be charged with breaking and entering or even car theft. Technically they did not steal the car the owners left doors unlocked with key available.

Kinda like someone walks in open front door is trespassing vs. breaking and entry into house.

So your car was not stolen, well legally

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:which neighborhood? what did the guy look like? please share in case anyone lives there and can watch out. So sorry this happened to you.

I don’t think this is helpful. The description won’t be specific enough and It just leads to profiling.

“ Looked like a 16-year-old high school girl” and now all people who look like 16 year-old high school girls driving minivans becomes suspicious.

It’s extremely helpful. If you have any video footage, OP, send it to police. They will probably recognize the guy. No need to profile.

So sorry that happened - wild. Roughly where were you? So we know to avoid!

Could be anywhere these days.
My car has a tracer and I would need to have my phone to trace it. Sorry this happened.

Omg that is insane. Gotta be dc, right? I'm so sorry.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, OP. But you should have known better. IN ANY NEIGHBROHOOD!

Most helpful comment here.

Sorry OP. Hope it works out.

Sorry, OP. But you should have known better. IN ANY NEIGHBROHOOD!

Anonymous wrote:which neighborhood? what did the guy look like? please share in case anyone lives there and can watch out. So sorry this happened to you.

I don’t think this is helpful. The description won’t be specific enough and It just leads to profiling.

“ Looked like a 16-year-old high school girl” and now all people who look like 16 year-old high school girls driving minivans becomes suspicious.

which neighborhood? what did the guy look like? please share in case anyone lives there and can watch out. So sorry this happened to you.

That sucks. Thanks for posting here--it's a good lesson for others not to do the same. I hope they find it soon and any damage is covered by insurance--or that it's found in such a bad condition that insurance pays you a lot and you can get a new one.

What brand? Any chance your phone was in it and you can track your phone?

My minivan got stolen today. I was standing 30 feet away talking to a friend. A guy just walked up, got in, and took off. I was right there.

Yes, my keys were in my bag on the floor. Yes, it was dumb to leave them. I was putting something on the porch in a safe neighborhood and it was taken in less than 2 minutes (timed by her camera, not an exaggeration!). Never would’ve thought.

Anyways, send positive thoughts my way. I really love that car and have had it for just about a year. $1000 away from paying it off. I’m sad.