CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — During the holiday season, auto theft rises, and one family experienced that this weekend.
"We've moved 20 times with the military, we do research every time we move. We did the research, this is a safe neighborhood," Amy Hobson said. Amy and her veteran husband, Lonnie, moved into their home off of Holly Rd. on November 1st. Excited to begin their new life in Corpus Christi right before the holiday season.
But on Saturday morning just before 1 a.m. Amy heard a disturbance that would soon lead to their worst nightmare.
"We heard a grinding noise, like a loud noise," says Amy, "So we got up, we looked out the window and there was a car it looked like it was on fire, and it was just going down the road."
Amy said she it takes her a while to go back to sleep, so she chose to go downstairs and get some water. Within 20 minutes, the ignition to their F-250 truck had started. "So as soon as I realized it started, I jumped over the sofa and was outside. And I chased him all the way down to the end of the block."
Amy could not reach the truck, but could be heard screaming on neighbors surveillance video. Immediately Corpus Christi Police were called and a stolen vehicle was reported.
"We asked the police and they said it's the Ford trucks specifically are highly stolen here, it's the number one stolen vehicle in Texas, I found out," Amy said. "And they can punch the lock out super fast and punch the ignition super fast. He said literally in seconds your truck can be gone and that's what happened."
According to the CCPD Auto Theft Task Force:
Always keep your vehicle locked, with no valuables seen.
Amy says CCPD also suggested getting a GPS tracker device for vehicles.
Amy said she just wants people to be aware of the dangers that can happen and to be prepared so vehicles do not get stolen again. She says she has put their stolen truck all over social media and hope it shows up soon. They currently do not have another vehicle to get to and from work, and are keeping their faith in God that something good will come out of this lesson. Amy does say she does not feel safe anymore, but believe the support from neighbors and the community has lifted her spirits.
"We all need to get more cameras, like we need to get proactive about this, I truly don't feel... I have not slept, since this happened."
