Raleigh car theft up; Man who left vehicle running is latest victim

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- During a news conference on Wednesday to discuss Raleigh's 2022 crime trends, Police Chief Estella Patterson mentioned that motor-vehicle thefts jumped 12% from this time last year.

One of those happened just a day earlier in the middle of the day at a busy Raleigh gas station.

Tank Steiner stopped at the Speedway on Western Boulevard, not far from N.C. State's campus.

He had stopped to fill up his gas tank on the way home to north Raleigh.

Steiner left the car running when he went in to get something to drink and then as he stood inside the convenience store, he noticed someone get in and take off with this car.

Having learned the most obvious lesson - don't leave your vehicle unattended while running - Steiner took to the Nextdoor app to warn others.

"What is the moral of the story in this? The first ... pay attention to your surroundings, make sure you're locking up when you're leaving your vehicle," Steiner said. "The other part for me has been the reaction for people when I tell them about this. If you have a friend or person dealing with this, you want to use as much empathy as possible."

Steiner called 911 right away and filed a police report with RPD.

Detectives are looking for his vehicle, a black Honda CR-V with license plate RAP 6122. If you see the vehicle, please call authorities immediately.