Driver spots his stolen Jeep Trackhawk in the lane next to him

A man out driving in Kansas City was gobsmacked after he spotted his own stolen Jeep Trackhawk in the lane next to him. 

Mitch Smedley and his wife had gone out for dinner in December when the Jeep was stolen. 

“We went out there to enjoy date night and went to get in our car and go home, but our car was gone,” he told Fox 4. 

But a little over a week later, he was out driving when he spotted a familiar-looking vehicle.

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The owner spotted his stolen Jeep Trackhawk being driven

Unfortunately, auto theft is an all-too-common occurrence, with an estimated 1,067,522 reported motor vehicle thefts in the US in 2023 alone. 

In some cases, folks go to extreme measures to try and find their beloved vehicles, such as this guy who hired a private detective or this R32 Skyline GT-R owner who enlisted the help of social media to get his car back.

However, when it came to Smedley and his stolen Jeep Trackhawk, it turns out he didn’t have to try that hard to find it – he was simply driving near the I-70 when he happened to see it next to him. 

Shocked at seeing his stolen vehicle, Smedley pulled over and called 911, but, he didn’t quite get the response he was hoping for. 

He told Fox 4 that the call handler told him he would need to give his case number before she could dispatch any officers.

“I’m like, ‘Ma’am, I’m actively chasing my stolen car right now, and I’m on the phone with you and you want me to dig through my phone and find the case number,'” he said.

“She goes, ‘If you want anything done on this phone call, you’re going to have to have the case number.’”

He eventually found the number but says by that point the driver and his stolen car were long gone.

“So they took off and turned and I never saw them after that. I was kind of frustrated. I’m like, we could have gotten the officers in the area and hashed out all these other details later,” Smedley added.

A police officer has offered advice to others in the same situation

KCPD Seargent Phil DiMartino told the news outlet that he understood Smedely’s frustration over the incident. 

“Generally, when you file a (stolen car) report, you’ll be given a form with some basics, including the case support number and the officer who took the report. It’s never a bad idea to keep that handy just in case this moment happens,” DiMartino said.

“It’s frustrating at that moment because you see your car and want help right now, understandably so. Stay on the line with the call taker.

“You can say, ‘Hey, I don’t have that information right now; here is my name. I filed a report at this time.’ The most important information to get out to the call takers is the location of the vehicle.”

He went on to stress that safety is the most important thing when dealing with a situation like this. 

“I want to remind people that no piece of property, no vehicle, is worth a physical confrontation if things escalate,” he said.