Leaving idling car unattended could be dangerous, police warn

Time and again, Wichita police urge residents not to leave idling cars unattended.

But the pleas often fall on deaf — or perhaps cold — ears.

At least 20 idling cars were stolen in about a 10-day span during an early January cold snap, and an incident last week near Central and West suggested the incidents could become more dangerous than just a source of aggravation.

A 22-year-old man escaped serious injury on Wednesday morning after he confronted a stranger who had climbed into a car that had been left unattended while it was warming up, police said. The stranger got out of the car and fired a shot at the vehicle’s owner.

The shot missed him and struck his house, police have said. The suspect then ran down the block and got into the passenger seat of a red car, which sped away.

“We’ve been talking for months” about why leaving vehicles unattended while they’re warming up is a bad idea, Lt. James Espinoza said.

“Usually the worst thing that happens is they take the car,” he said. “This case is just really a different example of what can happen.”

Vehicles that are stolen while left running unattended are recovered elsewhere about 90 percent of the time, Espinoza said.

“It’s a crime of opportunity,” he said.

Usually, the thief will go through the vehicle and steal anything of value before leaving it somewhere.

With highs in the 20s on Monday and lows falling to the teens early Tuesday, law enforcement officials know the temptation to warm up vehicles before residents head out will be strong. But they urge folks to resist that temptation — or at least get a remote starter, which allows you to warm up the car and keep the doors locked.

Another cold snap is expected late this week as well.

Statistics provided by police indicate 54 vehicles had been stolen while idling unattended since the first of the year — or more than one day. A 61-year-old woman who lives on South Emporia had her idling car stolen Thursday morning even though it was just 2 feet from her front door.

“They don’t think,” Lt. Joe Schroeder said. “ ‘It’s never going to happen to me.’

“All they’re doing is providing an opportunity” for a crime to occur when they leave their idling vehicle unattended.

This story was originally published February 22, 2015 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Leaving idling car unattended could be dangerous, police warn."