A Portland Woman’s Car Got Stolen, Then She Got It Back The Next Day With Gas Money And An Apology Note

A Portland woman thought her car had been stolen, only to get it back the next day with a few bucks for gas money, an apology note, and a weird story, KGW-TV (Portland) is reporting.

When Erin Hatzi noticed that her red Subaru was missing, she did what everyone who owns a security camera would do and checked the footage. Needless to say, she found it odd when the “thief,” rather than getting the car started and getting out of the area in a hurry, sat in the vehicle for a few minutes and let it idle.

“We were really confused because it didn’t seem like the normal actions of a car thief. You wouldn’t think they’d sit there in idle in the owner’s driveway for two or three minutes.”

Hatzi called the cops and her insurance agent, figuring she’d never see her Subaru Impreza ever again, according to the Oregonian.

On Wednesday, Erin got the surprise of her life. Her husband was taking out the trash when he saw that a cop was talking to a woman a few steps away. And there in Erin’s driveway was Erin’s car! And there, on the car, was a note of apology and $30 in gas money.

“Hello, So sorry I stole your car. I sent my friend with my key to pick up my red Subaru at 7802 SE Woodstock and she came back with your car. I did not see the car until this morning and I said, ‘that is not my car.’ There is some cash for gas and I more than apologize for the shock and upset this must have caused you. If you need to speak further, with me, I am ******* and my number is……….So so sorry for this mistake.”

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As it turns out, some older-model Subarus, such as Erin Hatzi’s Impreza, have outdated ignition systems that will sometimes start with the wrong key in them. In fact, Facebook user John Acerbi claims that it’s not just a problem with Subarus, and it happens with a lot of older Japanese vehicles.

“Many older Japanese model cars, not just Suburus [sic], shared key patterns with no problems, I mean, other than easy theft or, as in this case, mistaken identity.”

That appears to be what happened in this case as the “thief” thought she was picking up her friend’s car, saw a red Subaru, turned the key, and figured she had the right car. Honest mistakes seem to be the order of the day.

“It’s insane. It’s like a bad sitcom that nobody would ever buy the story because it’s stupid and it makes no sense.”

Of course, when you are caught driving a car reported stolen, particularly at the very house from which it was “stolen,” the cops are going to want some answers. While the police were questioning the woman about why she was driving a car that wasn’t hers, Erin’s husband tried to intervene and make things right. The cops, at first, weren’t interested in the man’s explanation.

“Then he showed them the video footage, they checked out her story and the note that came with it.”

Hatzi says that she had difficulty explaining to her insurance agent why she was withdrawing her claim, but, apparently, the agent couldn’t stop laughing.

One thing Hatzi is not clear on, however, is where her car could have possibly gone that it would consume $30 worth of gas. That’s about 25 gallons, give or take, at current gas prices. And even with a lowball estimate of 20 mpg, Hatzi’s car “thief” left her enough gas money to cover about 500 miles.

“I’m not entirely sure where the car spent the evening but it came back with a nice note and a weird story. My car had a little adventure.”

[Featured Image by Olaf Naami/Shutterstock]