Thief Steals Car With Kid Inside, Threatens To Call Police On Mom

This isn’t a scenario you see every day. Crystal Leary of Beaverton, Oregon pulled into the Basics Meat Market in her Honda Pilot with her 4-year-old in the backseat. She ran inside while leaving the Pilot parked in front of the store with the engine running and her son inside since she was planning on only being a few minute and could see the vehicle from in the store.

However, in those few minutes, a thief was able to hop in the running Pilot and drive off. What he didn’t anticipate was the 4-year-old sitting in the backseat watching him. Surprise. Instead of continuing on with the child, the thief turned around and brought the boy back to Leary while also trashing her for leaving a child unattended in a car. The man even went so far as to threaten to call the cops on her. But he decided to not call anybody and instead take off with her Pilot..again. This time, with no child inside.

Leary talked to the local news station saying, “So, I’m just thankful that he’s OK. It was so stupid, and I’ll never do that again. But it’s that split second decision that could just change everything.”

According to the Beaverton Police, what Leary did was not a crime. An officer stated, “What she did was not a crime. She was within sight and sound of her child.” What the thief did though, most definitely is.

So there are a few lessons to be learned from this story. As Leary stated herself, never let your guard down. While she was vigilant in leaving the car running to ensure her child was warm/cool enough, she should have taken the keys and locked the door. The second lesson is to maybe not threaten to call police when you are in the middle of conducting and actual crime yourself.