TOLEDO, Ohio — Local contractor Brett Donovan is encouraging people to lock up their cars and keep valuables in a safe place after someone stole thousands of dollars worth of tools from his car
He said he didn't even know he was stolen from until he got to one of his jobs and tools were missing.
He said he thought maybe he left them at home, but they weren't there either.
"I had a DeWalt rolling tool case," he said. I had hand drills, saws, and everything that I had to do my work with was in there."
$2,000 worth of equipment was taken straight from his truck parked in his driveway.
But, one of his house cameras caught it.
"He got freaked out once he saw our camera go off," Donovan said. "It shines a blue light. So you can see his reaction, like, 'I'm on camera,' then he shuffled off."
In the days following the theft, Donovan said friends and family helped replenish almost all of his tools.
He also reported the theft to the police and sent them the video, but he's not sure he'll ever find out who the culprit is.
"The next response I got back from (the police) was that the video was too grainy and we can't make any positive identification," he said. "So, I felt at that point it was done."
He still wants answers though. If not for himself, for someone else.
He believes someone out there knows something and could be able to help prevent it from happening again to another person.
"You can make out the fact that both his arms are tattooed, approximate height, weight, and certain facial features you can make out," he said. "It looked like he had a small beard and maybe a shaved head."
Donovan said he doesn't usually leave his equipment in his car, this was one of the rare times he did.
He also says he upgraded his outdoor cameras.
If you have information, you can call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.