Two cars left idling stolen in one night in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two idling cars were stolen in one night in Fort St. John, prompting an RCMP public service announcement.

According to a December 31st press release from the Fort St. John RCMP, the two vehicles were stolen while idling to warm up.

The first, an SUV left warming up outside a liquor store, was stolen shortly after 11 p.m. on December 30th. The second, a vehicle left running in a restaurant parking lot, went missing around 1 a.m. on December 31st. 

“It is our experience in winter that when a vehicle was stolen while running, the owners had typically failed to secure their vehicle, even if it was just for a few short minutes,” Constable Chad Neustaeter, a media relations officer, said. 

“This creates avoidable hardships for the owners and unnecessary work for the police.”

The RCMP explained stolen vehicles are often not located, and they frequently have personal identification or belongings in them which can be used to commit identity theft. 

As a result of these two incidents, the detachment issued a public service announcement reminding residents to lock their vehicles, especially when leaving them unattended to warm up prior to use. 

“Thieves are always looking for easy targets,” the release stated. 

“Leaving a vehicle unlocked with keys in the ignition makes the vehicle a prime target for getting stolen.”