TOLEDO, Ohio — We're all guilty of it: warming up our cars before leaving home. But if you don't have a remote car starter, the practice can be dangerous.
Cody Lepiarz is a student at the University of Toledo who had his car stolen in his own driveway. His mom offered to start his car as she was heading out the door. Less than two minutes later, Lepiarz said it was gone.
"Well, I did like a double take because I'm like, 'Where's my car?' I heard her walk out the door as I came down the stairs to get ready to leave and my heart kind of sank and I was like, 'Well, maybe I'm just crazy,''' Lepiarz said. "So, then I went outside and I started looking and I thought maybe it rolled down the driveway but no, it was gone."
Lepiarz said he has no idea where his 2010 tan Chevy Malibu went, including all of his rented school books that are inside. He's hoping someone will spot it, or that the incident was picked up on nearby security cameras.
"I've left it started before and this was just for not even a minute," Lepiarz said. He said he didn't see anyone drive away because it was dark outside.
Toledo police are looking at this case, but want to remind everyone not to leave their keys in their car, especially when it's running.
If you know anything about this incident, call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.