Charlotte Varcoe
“I AM worried it will keep happening and I am worried they will keep doing this until they get caught,” said 19-year-old Kyle Maney who was one of two Mount Gambier/Berrin residents to have their cars set alight last week.
Mr Maney was at his worksite, close to the local police station, with his day starting off as any other.
He said he had parked his $70,000 Ford Ranger in its usual spot and it was not until after his lunch break that he came back, placed his car keys in his Esky and headed back into the work site to finish the day.
“We went inside to start working and when I came out my Esky and the car was gone,” Mr Maney said.
“We did see a few people walking up and down the street, scoping us out and ducking their heads in looking at the worksite which we think are the people who took the keys and Esky.”
Mr Maney’s car was taken from his place of work at about 1pm last Tuesday afternoon and was found about 10pm that night in a long driveway on fire.
“I was told before it was torched, the police saw it on Penola Road at the traffic lights near the service station when it went through a red light and nearly t-boned another police car,” he said.
“The police car put their lights on and turned around but I was told by the police they were not legally allowed to chase heavy vehicles for safety reasons.”
He said he believed the thieves “got a bit spooked” when they saw the police car and decided to get rid of the Ford Ranger.
“It was also all over social media so there was a lot of heat on it,” Mr Maney said.
“I don’t know whether they had any other ideas for it as it was a valuable car.”
The car was parked in a Suttontown Road driveway before being set on fire with Mr Maney being told about the incident by a friend who lived close by.
“By the time I came down to where the car was, there was already a police car there and the fire trucks were on its way,” he said.
“There was a big bang and it must have destroyed the handbrake because it rolled down the driveway and crashed into the property owner’s fence.”
He said the car was purchased about five months ago with it being “pretty much brand new”.
“It was a bit rough to stand there and watch it burn because I waited so long to get a good car and then to have it stolen and get nothing out of it but a joyride is a bit wild,” he said.
“I want the people who are responsible to think about other people’s property and really think about it and also think there are normal working people out there who have their own problems going on.”
Mr Maney said his insurance has been approved and organised but made a word of caution to the thieves.
“Although the insurance is sorted out and I will get a new car it is still inconvenient and it is more the fact that if the insurance was not sorted out I would not have a car at all,” he said.
“There is also the thought of what if there were pets in the car or what if there was a child in there or valuables as well because my air pods, cash and my medication was all in the car too.”
Mount Gambier Neighbourhood Watch coordination Barry Treloar said a spike in crime was a concern to anyone in the public.
“Some of these opportunists are stealing things such as cars and shoplifting, unfortunately it is going to get worse because of the economic things happening such as interest rates,” Mr Treloar said.
“Some of it may be people trying to make money stretch and with the way the economy is going at the moment it is only going to get worse.”
Mr Treloar said community members concerned about their car should keep their vehicles in a well-lit area and ensure their keys were secure.
“It is readily reported there is a spike in crime at the moment including in cities like Adelaide where there have been stolen or randomly torched cars which is disheartening for the owners,” he said.
Mr Treloar also encouraged anyone who saw suspicious behaviour to report it to the police as soon as possible in an attempt of early intervention.
“We also encourage people to keep an eye on their cameras so if something does happen they are able to save that footage and pass it along to the police,” he said.
Those with any information on the incident are able to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.