A Littleton, Colorado man's truck was stolen out of a Denver International Airport parking lot while he was on a flight to Hawaii, according to KMGH. Scott Friedman told reporters he didn't learn about the theft until after he landed at his vacation destination.
"I thought he was kidding. He said, 'No, I'm on the line with, you know, somebody who is telling me that my car is being driven recklessly,' as he said, 'through Westminster,'" Wells Squier, Friedman's friend, said.
Friedman's vehicle was taken hours after he parked it at the Pikes Peak Lot, according to police. According to his wife, Sadie, the vehicle was also captured.
"He was in a daze. He didn't know what to do," she told reporters, adding that she would never park there again.
A spokesperson with Denver Police says there's been an average of at least five auto thefts reported at DIA a week over the last few weeks. In 2021, auto thefts have spiked citywide by a shocking 97% over the three-year average, KMGH noted.
"Those situations aren't ideal, and we don't want that to happen. We don't want people to feel like they can't park in DEN's public parking spaces," according to Alex Renteria, an airport spokesperson. "This is something that we are aware of, and we're working with DPD to decrease this crime around Denver's airport."