MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Zachary Bennett said he decided to go for a walk on the Oak Leaf Trail in Milwaukee for the first time Sunday morning, but when he got back to his car, he noticed two people sitting in the front of it, getting ready to take off.
"Get out of my car right this minute,” Bennett can be heard saying on cell phone video.
He said he couldn't believe what he saw: two young men, one with a screwdriver in hand, trying to steal his 2018 Kia Sportage.
"I started walking toward my car and I saw someone sitting in my seat and thought, 'Is this really happening?'" he recounted.
The two ignored Bennett's demands for them to leave the car.
"It didn't seem like they were really fazed by it. They just kept doing what they were doing,” he said.
What they were doing ended up being a car theft. The two boys got away, ultimately making it about six minutes down the road to the 7300 block of Acacia.
The car was ditched in front of Flores Carissa's house, blocking her driveway. It was found several hours later.
“The engine was still running and it was sitting there with the windows down and everything,” Carissa said.
According to Milwaukee police, there have been more than 7,000 auto thefts this year in the city. That is an average of 29 stolen cars per day.
Among those, Kia and Hyundai vehicles are by far the most targeted. Each was reported stolen more than 2,600 times this year.
“You are responsible for your child, and if your child is doing something like this, the parent needs to be held accountable,” Bennett said.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7242 or Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS or P3 Tips App to remain anonymous.
This story was originally published by Tony Atkins at WTMJ.