Car, and swag bag, stolen

[tmwnn]

I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this. I have a plea for help going out to all my fellow geocachers. My car was stolen in Washington, DC (Northwest part) on Tuesday or Wednesday (18th or 19th of December). How is this geocaching related, you might ask? For two reasons: Firstly, my swag bag was in that car, and sure it might have had a McToy or two, but I had put it together after long searches for what I would want to see in caches, and what I hoped other people would enjoy too. Secondly, I have read a few posts here in the forums of people who have found abandoned cars while geocaching. If any of you guys happen to see my car, please call the police (I have reported it stolen, so they should have it in their national database). I expect it would still be in the greater DC, Northern VA, Southern MD area, but in reality it could be anywhere by now.

 

So now, the description of the car. It is a tan, 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis, with North Carolina license plate RZH-6434. It has peeling paint, tan leather interior, a broken antenna, military stickers in the top center of the front windshield, a Zone Three parking permit in the lower driver's side of the front windshield, and a front license plate from Forest Hill United Methodist Church. Reading back that description to myself, I have to wonder why anyone would want to steal it, but it still has great sentimental value to me (my grandmother gave me the car before she died two years ago).

 

Thank you all for any help you can provide, and I know this is a wonderful community from reading the posts about how many people have called the police after seeing a car in the woods, even though it meant having to explain why they were in the middle of the woods to begin with. Anyone who sees the car can also claim FTF, even though I know mobile caches are against the rules.

[+Mopar]

Sorry about your loss. I know how it feels to have some mutant steal/damage something you worked hard for or cared about.

On the plus side it's not exactly the kind of car they usually strip for parts or ship overseas. Probably just some kids joyriding and hopefully the police will find it when it runs out of gas. Good luck!

[+31Coupe]

We are sorry also for your loss and will also keep an eye out for your car! I had a car stolen one time that was almost out of gas. I called the police and they had already found it. It had run out of gas! Ha! Ha!

So I guess the moral of my story is to always keep your car on empty; so if someone steals it the will have to fork over the $3/gal for the gas.

 

Have faith, usually these cars show up in a few weeks abandoned!

 

31Coupe

[+joranda]

That sucks, and right before xmas. Hope they find it and it is still intact.

[Chumpo]

I feel your pain

 

I got up for work at 4:30 this morning and my car was there. At exactly 5:09 I heard my car start up and by the time I looked out the window, well, my car's not there anymore.

Now I'm waiting for the police to show up, and it's snowing heavily- perfect weather to cover up any traces.

That's my cachemobile!

[+mousekakat]

That really stinks!

 

Any word on either car?

 

Naomi

[+Frank n Beck]

Thats awful, sorry to hear about both loses, and hope a recovery is forth coming.

[+fairyhoney]

I hope you Both get your cars back. I've had the pleasure of meeting the Chumpo's. ( at the Spokane River 2006 CITO event) It seems always worse when this happens to someone you've met

[+Wadcutter]

Since it has military vehicle sticker on the windshield call the nearest military installation ASAP. Just reporting it stolen to the police will not get the military notified. In light of the current world situations the military will want to know immediately about the loss of vehicle with the sticker.

Please, don't delay. ASAP please.

Thanks.

[+Firespinner]

I had a car stolen one time that was almost out of gas. I called the police and they had already found it. It had run out of gas! Ha! Ha!

So I guess the moral of my story is to always keep your car on empty; so if someone steals it the will have to fork over the $3/gal for the gas.

 

31Coupe

 

oh! I am TOTALLY going to use this next time my husband starts harping on me about not keeping the car full! :-) Thanks!

[+Firespinner]

I'm sorry this happened. :-(

 

I hope some geocaching hero see's your car and calls it in!

[+Beaverbeliever]

This kind of story makes me wish I had one of those GPS trackers rigged up to my car. I can go online then and see exactly where is is

 

Sorry about both losses

[Chumpo]

I hope you Both get your cars back. I've had the pleasure of meeting the Chumpo's. ( at the Spokane River 2006 CITO event) It seems always worse when this happens to someone you've met

 

We remember meeting you and Speeding Element as well. That was a fun day!

We were hoping to see you again this year- maybe you could make one of our '08 events?

 

Of course, we'll be needing a ride...

[+blb9556]

I always wanted to know why they have ads to track cars on geocaching.com, I quess this is a good reason.

[Chumpo]

Update:

 

The Chumpomobile is back home! We got a call from the police today to come get it before they had to tow it away, and even though we were a long ways off, we made it to our abandoned baby in short time.

The dash has been destroyed where the stereo was- as well as the drivers side interior trim (the path where the cables to our missing ten disc cd changer in the trunk were). About $1000 worth of tools are gone, and a bunch of our sig items and assorted swag are no longer there. I can only hope that some of the swag is making some poor kid(s) happy right now.

The car runs fine with the new battery we had to get, and with some creative dash console rebuilding it will be our happy cache rover once again. We had two different gps mounts in there for two different gps's, and they are both still there! Hah! Apparently our neighborhood tweakers don't know what's fun!

Our consolation prize was a nice Buck knife that had been left on the front seat by the thief.

http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/441/238

 

I am so glad that I never leave my caching electronics in the car!

[+TeamThung]

Update:

 

The Chumpomobile is back home! We got a call from the police today to come get it before they had to tow it away, and even though we were a long ways off, we made it to our abandoned baby in short time.

The dash has been destroyed where the stereo was- as well as the drivers side interior trim (the path where the cables to our missing ten disc cd changer in the trunk were). About $1000 worth of tools are gone, and a bunch of our sig items and assorted swag are no longer there. I can only hope that some of the swag is making some poor kid(s) happy right now.

The car runs fine with the new battery we had to get, and with some creative dash console rebuilding it will be our happy cache rover once again. We had two different gps mounts in there for two different gps's, and they are both still there! Hah! Apparently our neighborhood tweakers don't know what's fun!

Our consolation prize was a nice Buck knife that had been left on the front seat by the thief.

http://www.buckknives.com/catalog/detail/441/238

 

I am so glad that I never leave my caching electronics in the car!

 

Stoked to hear you have your cache mobile back and at least you have a shank to fend off the next group of thiefs.

[+Dolfy]

That's awesome news!!! I'm always glad to hear when someone get's their vehicle back!

[+NetworkCacher]

darn, that stinks, sorry to hear about your car. You might consider a posting on the novago.org and mdgps.org sites as well.

[+Dustincoc]

Just drive vehicles like my father drives, that way, if anyone steals it, the thief won't go to jail, they'll go to the crazy house. That is, if they dare to try to drive it with all its wierd quircks that need to be taken care of just right of nothing works. It's a 1984 F-150 with over 350,000 miles and it's 3 tone. 1/8 Red paint, 1/8 grey primer, and 3/4 rust...