An Ohio family has no way of returning home from their Florida vacation after thieves took off and crashed their car Tuesday.
Aaron Spicer and his wife were visiting their grandchildren at their St. Pete home.
Spicer’s daughter was preparing to take the car to go shopping, when she went back inside to get her mom, leaving the windows open.
Surveillance footage from a neighbor shows the moment an SUV pulls up in front of the home.
One person gets out and back in just seconds later.
Spicer thinks they took off with his wife’s purse which had his keys inside.
The video shows the SUV take off, then back up to the home.
The driver and another man get out before the SUV takes off.
Seconds later, Spicer’s car takes off behind it.
“To see something unfold and watch and be able to witness the crime taking place is something that will haunt me,” said Spicer.
Spicer says his wife and daughter spotted the car a few miles from the home.
They called police and were told to not follow the car.
But they did, and ended up chasing the driver for a few blocks, crashing into car before the driver got away.
Police found the car the next day, five miles away from Spicer’s grandchildren’s home.
The car had crashed into a homeowner’s yard and hit a tree.
Neighbors say they heard the crash and saw one man get out of the car and run off.
St. Pete police are searching for the culprits.
Spicer says his wife’s purse, all their cash and Christmas gifts were in the stolen car.
As of this publication, they hadn’t gone to the location where their car was towed.
“We don’t know what we do next,” said Spicer.
