Happy Sunday… and welcome to this week’s installment of “Sunday Travel Funnies.” I decided to preface this week’s blog with a disclaimer: The following story is about a man who had the unthinkable happen—he had his car stolen twice in one day. Some of you who may not think that being the victim of a crime is a laughing matter, but wait until you read the entire blog before you rush to judgment. The victim’s reaction to an otherwise horrendous ordeal may surprise you.
York Heiden lives in a north central Wisconsin city I called home the summer preceding my junior year in college. I did news reports for a local radio station and the majority of the crime stories I covered involved petty theft and the occasional battery charge. But last week, Heiden became the victim of a serious crime, not once, but twice in a matter of hours. His story serves as a warning to travelers about the dangers of being too trusting of your surroundings.
Last month, Heiden’s prized car, a pearl-colored 1990 Audi Quattro was stolen from a local grocery store parking lot while his wife was running errands. Heiden’s wife admitted to police that she had left the keys in it while she dashed into the market for a few items.
Within hours Heiden, who owns an automotive repair shop, found his car without the keys abandoned in a woody area near the market. The 36-year-old told police he had a friend disable the car’s ignition by removing a coil wire while he left to pick up a spare key. When he returned, the car was gone–again. According to Heiden, he had forgotten that his model Audi had a two-coil system and could be driven with just one.
“I was speechless,” Heiden told a local newspaper reporter. He went on to describe the range of emotions he felt that day—-the high of finding the stolen car in one piece, suddenly dashed when he realized he had been taken for a ride–again.
“All I could do was hold the key up in my hand and look at it,” he said.
Heiden says looking back, he should have never left the car alone after he found it the first time.
“So many what-ifs: I shouldn’t have done this, I should have taken the tire off,” Heiden said, laughing.
Part of the reason Heiden says he can laugh about the unfortunate chain of events is that police later found his car in the same neighborhood. This time it had a broken taillight and a broken piece of interior trim, but otherwise it was reportedly in good condition.
So what lesson did Heiden learn from his ordeal?
“Don’t leave your keys in the ignition,” he said. “And if you find it, do not leave it.”
And that’s no joke.
For more tips on how NOT to end up like Heiden consider reading these blogs:
Protecting Your Vehicle From Thieves
Preparing For Your Road Trip: Part 1