A Denver woman was forced to take matters into her own hands when she walked out of her job Monday afternoon to find her bright red Mazda SUV missing.
Holly Kaufman was furious when she realized her car was stolen - and she called the police, but also started tracking her vehicle via the Madza app after cops told her that they were too busy to at that moment to send someone to investigate.
The mother attempted to frustrate the thief by remotely setting off the car alarm and shutting off the engine using the mobile app.
The app has another nifty feature - a GPS tracker that pinpoints the exact location of the car. She quickly rushed to where it said her car was moved to.
'It was in a Safeway parking lot, so we started going there,' Kaufman said.
Holly Kaufman was furious when she realized her car was stolen - and she called the police, but also started tracking her vehicle via the Madza app
She got someone she knew to drive her to that location, while also getting on the phone with a 911 dispatcher who discouraged her from going alone
She got someone she knew to drive her to that location, while also getting on the phone with a 911 dispatcher who discouraged her from going alone.
Kaufman added that the dispatcher told her they didn't have anyone on duty to help right away.
The mother told Fox KDVR that she had experience with vehicle theft and didn't want to risk losing it for good or having it damaged beyond recognition.
'In the past, I've had a vehicle stolen and they rip out your whole car, tear everything up, try to live in it and put drugs in it,' Kaufman said.
'I'm a working mom and it's hard nowadays to make car payments,' she added. 'This is a car that I carry my 4-year-old son in, so I'm like, "This not happening in my car."'
Kaufman found her car in relatively good condition after just 15 minutes - but it had some surprises on the inside.
'On the passenger seat, there was some beer as well as a pipe nearby. She also found receipts from Target with returns on it.
Kaufman found her car in relatively good condition after just 15 minutes - but it had some surprises on the inside
She found a Target receipt after the thief allegedly went on a shopping spree
'I just feel super violated, and at that point in time, there is nothing that was going to change my mind, I was getting my car, I knew they didn’t have time, so I just got it myself,' Kaufman said.
'I’m not advising people to do what I did, but at some point, something needs to change.'
The Denver police also doesn't advise people to make matters into their own hands because it could be dangerous to confront the person who stole your vehicle.
Instead, the department suggested residents register their car, if it has an enabled GPS tracker, with the DenverTrack program to help officers locate it faster in the event of a theft.