Surveillance and cellphone videos show the moment a vehicle was stolen from a family in Maple Ridge Monday morning. In the videos, a person can be seen walking and then running toward a driveway. Around 15 seconds pass before a dark SUV quickly reverses into the road before appearing to stop. A woman is then seen running from a home with a baby in her arms, before the vehicle darts off. The vehicle’s owner, Kaley, spoke to CTV News on Tuesday about the incident and says it all happened quickly. She had started the vehicle to warm it while packing it with a stroller and other items before going back into the home to get her daughter. During those 15 seconds captured on camera, the thief pulled off the theft as Kaley watched and recorded from her phone. “I just saw it was my car. I think my first instinct was to double-check that it was real and that I was holding my baby,” said Kaley. She says the reason she was able to begin recording on her cellphone was due to the thief being stuck in neutral after reversing and unable to move, before eventually realizing the issue and putting the vehicle in drive. Hours later, Kaley said, the thief used a credit card that was inside the vehicle at a nearby gas station. She said she was charged $200 before the card was disabled. The 2009 dark grey Ford Escape remains missing. Ridge Meadows RCMP told CTV News that a police report has been filed, and they are urging the public to come forward with information about the incident. In the meantime, officers are reminding the public to remain vigilant and use anti-theft precautions, especially as colder weather moves into the region and people may be tempted to warm their vehicles without proper security.
