It’s never fun being the victim of car theft, but what’s even worse is that a car thief not only steals your car, but they also take everything that’s inside of it. That’s why it’s always important to not only lock your car but to be sure to take out whatever valuables you might have in it such as a purse, a laptop, or even your own child. That’s a tough lesson that one Oregon resident had to learn the hard way earlier this week.

It was supposed to be a normal carjacking

You would think that when a car thief scopes out their next target that they would automatically make sure to check if there’s anyone in the car first. That might have been the case when the car thief that targeted Crystal Leary’s 2013 Honda Pilot allegedly got into her car when it was parked outside of a meat market, but apparently, didn’t do a thorough job as her four-year-old son was still in the back seat at the time. Not noticing the child at first, the thief drove away.

According to ABC7 News in Oregon, Leary left her child in the car to run into the meat market “only for a moment” when the carjacking took place. However, the car was gone in a flash, along with her child, leaving Leary obviously panic-stricken. Fortunately, the car thief returned to the scene of the crime a few minutes later.

You can learn a lesson from a car thief

In a shocking moment of what you might call “kind-heartedness with a touch of irony,” the car thief returned to the scene and handed Leary back her child. He then scolded her for leaving her child in the car and even threatened to call the police on her. Instead, he got back into her silver Honda Pilot and drove away. Oregon police are still on the lookout for the Pilot and the car thief.

“As moms, we get really busy, and we think we’re just running in for a second,” Leary said. “And, this is just a perfect example of just letting our guards down and how terribly it could have ended. I am thankful that he’s ok, and it was so stupid and I’ll never do that again. But, it’s that split-second decision that can just change everything.”

Safety always comes first

While this story does end on a semi-positive, considering no one was hurt, we must all take this as a reminder that safety comes first. A car thief with enough experience is trained to scope out the most vulnerable cars and will capitalize on simple mistakes. So while it’s easy to leave our valuable belongings in the car while we run into a store “for only a moment,” there’s always a chance that the worst can happen. Whether it be someone stealing your car, your laptop, your purse, or, worst of all, your very own child.