Bizarre car swap saga

By Nathan Johnston
OWNERS of older model Fords and Holdens have been warned to take extra care securing their vehicles following a bizarre series of thefts throughout the south eastern suburbs.
John Williams from Noble Park North had his 198889 EA Falcon stolen from the front of his home last Wednesday night. In its place was someone else’s EA Falcon of the same year.
Two days later his car was found in Endeavour Hills, parked in the place of another EA Falcon that had been stolen.
Mr Williams said his car was recovered undamaged, and had lost only $35 in change.
“I’m very grateful to get the car back without any damage. I’m lucky because my mother had given me $600 in an envelope to pay a deposit on her holiday,” he said.
“Whoever took the car must have thought it was a card, and just threw it onto the back seat.
“I also had three boxes of beer in the boot and that was all still there as well.
“They rifled through it, but they have only taken about $35.”
Mr Williams said he called police on Wednesday night and attempted to explain the situation of the mysterious car swap in his front yard.
He said he was told to call police back in two days if the replacement car was still parked there.
“In the meantime, the people who owned the car that was now at the front of my house, saw it and barrelled up my son because they thought he might have taken it,” Mr Williams said.
“But we later found out that the same thing had happened to them. Another EA was dumped in the place of their stolen car.
“Whoever is doing it is breaking into the cars and starting them without causing any damage, then swapping them over.
“They had only driven my car for 4549 kilometres, but you wonder how many other cars they will take.
“It just shows that your car’s not as safe as you’d like to think it is.
“I care for a woman with a disability and I rely on the car to get to work and take her to hospital.
“The disabled sticker had been ripped off, but that was it. I’m lucky and I’m also grateful to the police for their help in getting it back.
“There won’t be anything valuable left in my car in the future,” Mr Williams said.
Senior Constable Chris Nieuwesteeg from Springvale CIU said that early model car owners needed to take extra precautions to protect their cars from theft.
“The older cars are definitely more prone to thefts, particularly the Commodores and Falcons,” Sen Const Nieuwesteeg said.
“I’d urge owners of these vehicles to keep all valuables out of the car and use a steering lock.”