LANSING, Mich. — It's bad enough when your car gets stolen once, but imagine having it happen twice. One family in south Lansing has had both of their cars stolen in the past six months.
Chelsea Ryan lives in south Lansing and said she is considering moving away after both of her family's cars have been stolen and the thief is still on the loose.
"So my car got stolen the first time and then my husband's car got stolen the second time," Ryan said.
On top of that she said Lansing Police gave her 10 minutes to pick up her car, and when she couldn't pick in up in that time frame, it was taken to a tow company. It cost her $275 to get her car back.
"$275 is maybe not a lot to some people, but for us, when you're on a budget it is. It is kind of a lot and both of our car seats were stolen as well so we have to get new car seats in and it just is a lot of stuff that kind of adds up," Ryan said.
When Ryan got the car back it was trashed with a stolen tire. In addition, a debit card, gift cards, and an ID were all left inside of the vehicle.
"It's definitely scary like there was tobacco and stuff all over the car. There could've been anything in that car that we could've found that would've, you know, it wasn't, it was our responsibility which I felt like it shouldn't have been at that point," Ryan said.
Fox 47 asked Lansing Police why those items were left in the vehicle.
"Anything of value that's going to help the investigation is usually recovered and stored as far as evidence," said Robert Merritt, Lansing Police Department's public information officer.
In the last six months, there have been 200 car thefts in the city. There have been 11 car thefts in the last week.
"It may seem like a high number but it's truly not. You will see an uptick during the cold months because people will leave their vehicle running and unattended," Merritt said.
Lansing Police said there isn't always a time limit policy for when a victim has to pick up their car. In this case, it was most likely an issue with the officer having to respond to another case.
Lansing Police wants to remind people to always lock your door and never leave the keys in your car no matter how cold it gets.
The Lansing Police Department said to follow these steps to keep your car from being stolen:
-Lock your doors
-Remove your keys from your vehicle
-Do not leave spare keys inside or near your vehicle
-Close all your windows
-Park your car in well-lit areas
-Install an audible alarm system and anti-theft device
-Don't leave valuable items inside of your car
-Know what to report if you become a victim
-Be alert
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