MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — Jennifer thought it was a normal trip to Speedway to get gas.
"I was just about to pay and I didn’t lock my car doors," she said. "A car drove by me and they opened my passenger door and stole the bag out of my car."
After calling police, Jennifer started tracking her iPad inside the stolen bag. The iPad is important to her because it was a Christmas gift to help her career as an artist.
The next day, Jennifer made the bold move with family members to go out and find it after it pinged a local location. To their surprise, they spotted the vehicle.
"We saw all of them sitting in it," she said. "At the time, there were three of them. We drove past, we got somewhere safe then we immediately called police. We didn’t want to pursue ourselves."
The car drove off, but Jennifer, police dispatch and the Middleburg Heights Police Department continued to work together. Four juveniles and one older teenager were located inside the Red Roof Inn in Middleburg Heights with stolen goods.
Middleburg Police Chief Ed Tomba says it’s a crime of opportunity.
"We all have cell phones chargers, our iPads, and purses," he said. "So if you take a minute to put it under the seat and lock your doors, I think some of this stuff can be preventable."
Jennifer is happy knowing she played a part in solving multiple crimes.
"It feels really cool, because not only did I get my own product back that was very meaningful to me, but I helped at least 11 other people get their iPhones back, which is really cool," she said.
While she has her iPad (but not her purse) back, Chief Tomba says the case is far from over.
"Other police departments have contacted us—Berea, Parma Heights, Lakewood, Cleveland—with similar crimes, so were all working together," he said.
The chief recommends everyone hide valuables and lock their doors before pumping gas to avoid becoming a theft victim.