That really is good timing. Earlier this week, one woman spoke with police about her stolen car when the vehicle drove by. Upon taking a second look at the car to confirm it had similar attributes to the one driving down the road, the owner of the vehicle confirmed it looked “just like that.”

She located her stolen car… as it drove by

In an article from Newsweek, one Los Angeles inhabitant had her car stolen and called police to report the incident. Jocelyn (@gildedlane on TikTok) shared a video of the incident. Jocelyn saw that her car was stolen from her driveway around 1 AM after a thief replicated her key.

Upon discovering the stolen car, she reported the theft the next day. The police arrived later that same day to take a report of the incident. The car owner and the two officers stood in the driveway discussing the incident. To get out of the sun, the group moved into a shaded area that happened to be covered by surveillance cameras. Before the car drove by, one of the officers inquired if the stolen vehicle had any distinguishing features.

Jocelyn noted that the car had pretty dark tinted windows. At that time, a vehicle with dark tint drove by. The offer asked if the tint looked “like that,” gesturing to the car driving by. Jocelyn noted that it did look a lot “like that” because it was her car driving by. “That’s my car. That was my [expletive] car. Are you kidding me?” The office only responded, “That is? Wow,” in semi-disbelief.

Upon seeing the police officers, the stolen car took off

Apparently, when the driver saw the police cars and police officers looking at her, she took off. A helicopter was able to find the car and follow it, which led to a lengthy police chase. She led the police on a 2.5-mile chase through the city after being spotted. Eventually, the driver crashed the car into some other parked cars and left the hood area damaged.

If you watch the video closely, you can see Jocelyn’s cat, Bob, join the chase. Bob was most likely startled by the yelling and student movement, but he appeared to take off in the same direction as the police officers. Don’t mess with Bob’s mom’s car.

Auto Theft Awareness from the LAPD

According to the LA Police Department, approximately 30,000 vehicles are stolen every year. It makes up 24% of property crimes and 18% of the total crimes reported in the city. According to the FBI, a car is stolen every 23 seconds. While this situation probably could not have been avoided, the LAPD has some tips on keeping your vehicle safe.

The LPAD suggests never leaving your car unattended, even just to run inside a store. Leaving your keys in the car or the ignition is an easy way for thieves to access your vehicle. Keeping the windows up and the car locked can make your vehicle less of a target. Sometimes thieves will move on to a more accessible subject.

Don’t leave important documents, laptops, luggage, or anything else in your car. Owners should report a stolen car to the police right away. However, that isn’t always easy during the night. Surveillance cameras, like the one that recorded this incident, are a good investment.