Subaru Impreza wagon.jpg
This is a red 2001 Subaru Impreza. It's not the one that was accidentally stolen and returned to Erin Hatzi, but it's a red 2001 Subaru Impreza nonetheless.
(Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr user Grant C.)
Erin Hatzi's story has all the makings deserving of a "That's So Portland" label: It involves a Subaru, an accidental theft and an apology note accompanied by gas money for the mileage involved in the ordeal.
The Woodstock neighborhood resident's husband noticed her red Subaru Impreza was missing from the couple's driveway Tuesday night. Soon afterward, she uploaded security camera stills of the then-supposed theft, asking her Facebook friends for help in finding the vehicle.
"So not cool.... I hope your Subie finds her way home unscathed," wrote one friend. It looks like that particular wish came true.
As it turns out, Hatzi's Subaru was mistaken for somebody else's.
The accidental car-jacker had instructions to pick up another red Subaru in Hatzi's neighborhood for a friend. When the vehicle's owner realized it was the wrong car, she instructed the accidental thief to return Hatzi's Impreza with an apologetic note and $30.
Police caught the woman returning the vehicle early Wednesday evening in Hatzi's driveway. Hatzi's husband intervened to tell police about the previous night's theft, but they initially brushed him off.
"Then he showed them the video footage, they checked out her story and the note that came with it," Hatzi said.
Everything checked out.
It appears some older Subaru keys are interchangeable, police told Hatzi after it was all sorted out. That's how the accidental thief made off with the car so easily the previous evening.
Hatzi said her insurance agent needed time to laugh between answers when she called back to rescind her report. As for how far her car went in order to merit $30 in gas money, Hatzi has no idea.
"I'm not entirely sure where the car spent the evening but it came back with a nice note and a weird story," she said. "My car had a little adventure."
And Hatzi and her husband have the security footage of her car coming back, the police questioning the woman driving it, and everyone having a good laugh when it was all said and done.
You can see Hatzi's Facebook post below:
--Eder Campuzano
503.221.4344
@edercampuzano
ecampuzano@oregonian.com