Family left with questions after car is stolen from local dealership and then found in Boise

IDAHO FALLS — A car was stolen from a local car dealership over Tuesday afternoon while the driver was standing just a few yards away.

Nicole Robinson of Idaho Falls told EastIdahoNews.com her son was helping the family find a new car. He had driven his grandfather’s white Honda Insight to a dealership on Lomax, near the Northgate Mile in Idaho Falls, with that goal in mind.

“He parked the car on the lot and walked maybe three cars down,” Robinson said.

When her son looked up, the car was gone.

While he had been looking inside a potential new family car, someone “jumped in and took off” with his grandfather’s car, said Robinson.

Luckily, the entire incident was caught on the dealership’s camera.

In the video, Robinson’s son can be seen walking up and down the line of cars. At the top of the screen, someone wearing a backpack opens the Honda’s door, gets in and drives away.

The car was turned off, but it was unlocked and the keys were in it. Because it’s a hybrid, the 21-year-old car shopper didn’t hear it start or drive away.

Robinson was shocked the thief would drive away with a car in broad daylight while someone was standing so close.

“This situation underlines the fact that this kind of thing can happen very quickly,” said Jessica Clements, the department’s spokesperson. “And it can happen to anyone.”

The Idaho Falls Police Department responded to the incident. The car was found Wednesday afternoon in Boise, according to Robinson.

The keys were still in it.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no word on the suspect or the state of the car when it was found by authorities.

Clements would like to remind the public to take valuables out of cars and never leave your vehicle unlocked, “Especially with the keys in it.”