A Los Angeles resident has shared the moment her stolen car was driven past her house, just as two LAPD officers were taking down her theft report.
The CCTV footage caught the bizarre coincidence from last year, and Jocelyn, aka @gildedlane, has gained over 11 million views of the hilarious moment. In the video, she can be seen pointing out the car driving past as the surprised officers head to chase it down.
"A year ago my car was stolen out of my driveway. When the LAPD was there taking a report, the thief drove by with my car," she wrote in the video.
According to Jocelyn, the car was stolen at 1 a.m. from her driveway after the thief replicated her key fob.
As they talked at the doorstep, an officer quietly pointed out a passing car after Jocelyn mentioned the tinted windows on her car. It turned out the passing-by car was in fact the stolen car in question.
"That's my car. That was my f***ing car. Are you kidding me," she yelled. "That is? Wow," replied one of the officers, in what Jocelyn described as a "deadpan" tone.
"About 20 seconds prior to the video we'd been standing out in front of my house in the blazing sun. If I hadn't suggested we stand under the portico to get into the shade the video would've never happened," Jocelyn told Newsweek.
"Just before the car drove by, one officer asked me if there was anything distinguishable about my car. That's when I confessed that my windows were illegally tinted. The officer saw a car with an illegal tint and was beginning to ask if the tint looked 'like that.' That's when I saw my license plate frame and said 'that's it!' I could tell that the officer didn't understand that I meant that was my actual car, which is why I then said 'that's my f***ing car'."
"His 'wow' felt like more of a disbelief of the audacity of someone driving by with a stolen car," she said.
The video can be seen in full here.
Lengthy Car Chase
The car was found on the same day, after a lengthy chase that also involved a helicopter. According to Jocelyn, the thief eventually crashed the stolen car, leaving a huge dent in the front, which is visible in later videos shared to her account.
A pizza, makeup items and a compressed air canister were left inside the vehicle.
"When the driver saw the police she hit the gas and took off. The police ran to their car as fast as they could, called backup, and the pursuit began. They chased her approximately 2.5 miles. I could hear the helicopter so I could tell what direction they were going," Jocelyn said.
"She eventually ran into some parked cars and they took her in. I never found out what, if any, charges were made. The whole incident didn't last long but even at the time I realized how absurd and hilarious it all was," she said. "From the start to finish those officers did an incredible job. They were personable and professional."
Real-Time Coverage
Although the incident wasn't covered by news at the time, Jocelyn said she shared the whole thing on popular resident crime app Citizen in real-time.
With 11 million views, the CCTV footage has amazed many with its timing, but most have been taken aback by her cat, who appeared to involve himself in the crime-stopping process. Bob the cat first got in the way of the officers as they began to run, but hilariously ran in the same direction, as if to catch the thief himself.
"Cat said 'i'll try to slow them down'," joked one TikTok user.
"He was on it. Ain't nobody f***ing with his lady's car," wrote Jocelyn.
Correction 09/23/21, 12:32 p.m. ET: This article was updated to correct the TikTok username.
Update 09/27/21 at 03:14 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Jocelyn.
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