Police are investigating the alleged theft of a Toyota Prado from a home on Hovell St, Avenel.
The male offender dressed in a navy hoodie and black shorts first entered a neighbour’s property on the corner of Ewings Rd and Hovell St just before 8pm on Monday, January 2, and attempted entry to a car.
A neighbour posted on Facebook after the event stating that when the man could not enter the locked vehicle at the first property, he took a Polaris off-road utility vehicle instead.
The man then crashed the Polaris into some paddock gates and took off on foot through the paddocks while being chased by the home owners.
The man ran across Ewings Rd and entered a property where the Prado was located on the corner of Farrah Pl and Hovell St.
The thief then absconded in the Prado.
Victim Jessica McMaster said the theft came as a complete shock.
“We had been doing trips in the car all day,” the mother-of-two said.
“I thought I’ll pause for a minute, get the three-year-old to bed.
“He decided he was hungry, so we were sitting on the couch eating yoghurt and we heard a crash.”
That crash was the thief driving her vehicle through the steel gates of her property.
Mrs McMaster said the chances of her car being stolen at the one moment the keys were in it were slim.
“The only reason my bag was in the car was because I was doing trips unpacking it,” Mrs McMaster said.
“We always bring our keys in, it is just pure fluke that the keys were in it.”
Neighbours expressed their shock at such a brazen theft in broad daylight in a small town like Avenel.
A post was made appealing for information on a community Facebook page.
Mrs McMaster said the offers of support were immediate and plentiful.
“My phone just started going off … I don’t think I get that many messages on my birthday,” she said.
“No-one could believe it.”
The car, which was spotted soon after the theft heading towards Seymour, was found in Footscray on the morning of Wednesday, January 4.
Mrs McMaster said that the car was currently in a police holding yard and she was unsure if she would get it back, as she had to go through the process with her insurance provider.
Such an event would have an impact on any family.
“My eight-year-old got a bit shocked and a bit worried,” Mrs McMaster said.
“She is a massive animal lover and had (toy) Pound Puppies in the car and when she realised they were gone she was so emotional and scared.
“She slept with us that night.”
Mrs McMaster’s husband drove to Shepparton the next day to purchase security cameras.