Woman Outsmarts Thieves, Finds Stolen Vehicle Used As Getaway Car
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Thieves made off with more than two dozen designer handbags from the Louis Vuitton store on the Magnificent Mile early Monday, after smashing through the front doors in a stolen car.
And not only did the owner of the vehicle find her car, she did it by outsmarting the suspects.
Isabella Incandela thought her SUV had been towed, so she called the city compound. "Immediately they were like, there's nothing in here, so I'm like, 'Yeah, it was stolen.'"
Incandela proceeded to call the police and use the Uconnect Access app on her phone to track the 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, locating it at Michigan and Walton, which is near the Louis Vuitton store. With relatives accompanying her, Incandela met police at the location.
She asked a nearby valet service if anyone had seen her car. "As I'm talking to him, my brother and sister-in-law are screaming, 'Get in the car! Get in the car!' I'm like, 'What's going on?' I turn over, I jump in the car, they're like, 'Your car's right there!' and it was on Walton, like up on the corner."
Incandela said she saw her car being driven away, as well as several police cars, including unmarked cop cars, on the scene.
The thieves, who had grabbed about $100,000 in merchandise, used a stolen BMW to smash through the glass turnstile to enter the store. As they were making their exit, they crashed into an Uber Pool car, with a driver and two passengers inside. The suspects couldn't restart the BWM, so they piled into Incandela's jeep and used that as their getaway car.
Using the app, Incandela later tracked her keep to W. 57th Street and S. Green Street.
The retailer issued a statement saying that they are cooperating with local authorities and directing all questions to them during their ongoing investigation.
Police say no arrests have been made.