- Holly Kaufman, mother of a four-year-old son, was not waiting for the police
- She located her car using the Mazda app that determines the vehicle’s location
- Kaufman found her car in just 15 minutes, but the thief was already gone
A Denver woman was forced to take matters into her own hands when she left her job Monday afternoon and discovered her bright red Mazda SUV was missing.
Holly Kaufman was furious when she realized her car had been stolen – and she called the police, but also started tracking her vehicle via the Madza app after police told her they were too busy at the time to have anyone investigating to send out.
The mother tried to frustrate the thief by remotely turning off the car alarm and engine via the mobile app.
The app has another useful function: a GPS tracker that determines the exact location of the car. She quickly rushed to where it said her car had been moved.
“It was in a Safeway parking lot, so we went there,” Kaufman said.
Holly Kaufman was furious when she realized her car had been stolen – and she called the police, but also started tracking her vehicle via the Madza app
She had someone she knew take her to that location, while also talking on the phone to a 911 operator who discouraged her from going alone
She had someone she knew take her to that location, while also speaking to a 911 dispatcher who discouraged her from going alone.
Kaufman added that the dispatcher told her there was no one on duty to help right away.
The mother told Fox KDVR that she had experience with car theft and didn’t want to risk losing it forever or being damaged beyond recognition.
“I’ve had my car stolen in the past and they rip out your whole car, tear everything up, try to live in it and put drugs in it,” Kaufman said.
“I’m a working mom and it’s hard to make car payments these days,” she added. “This is a car I use to transport my four-year-old son, so I’m thinking, ‘This isn’t happening in my car.'”
Kaufman found her car in relatively good condition after just 15 minutes, but there were some surprises on the inside.
‘There was some beer on the passenger seat and a pipe nearby. She also found receipts from Target showing the returns.
Kaufman found her car in relatively good condition after just 15 minutes, but there were some surprises on the inside
She found a Target coupon after the thief was reportedly shopping
“I just feel extremely violated, and at that point there was nothing that was going to change my mind, I went to get my car, I knew they didn’t have time, so I just bought it myself,” Kaufman said.
“I don’t advise people to do what I did, but at some point something has to change.”
Denver police also advise people not to take matters into their own hands because confronting the person who stole your vehicle can be dangerous.
Instead, the department suggested that residents register their car, if it has an enabled GPS tracker, with the DenverTrack program so officers can locate it more quickly in the event of a theft.