LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Car thieves continue wreaking havoc throughout the valley.
One local family nearly lost all hope of ever getting back their stolen vehicle, but thanks to the efforts of metro police, it was eventually recovered.
"I didn't think I'll see it again," said Mathew Marriott.
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After a long week of uncertainty, the search for one family's stolen vehicle finally ended.
"An officer called me and said we have located your Kia Soul," he said. "It took me just a minute to process it."
Marriott was reunited with his stolen 2016 Kia Soul on Tuesday after the vehicle was taken from his workplace last week.
Although Marriott feels fortunate to have his car back, the financial burden of insurance deductibles and the time needed to repair the damage now looms over him.
"They smashed the window," he said. "There's glass all in these cracks, all in this door, by the paddles by my shoes."
However, Marriott's experience is just one of many.
"I have a co-worker with a Kia Optima that also got stolen," he said. "They didn't recover theirs."
The big rise in car thefts has left many in our valley without transportation. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 6,718 vehicles have been stolen so far— an increase of 37 percent compared to all of 2022.
In just the past week alone, over 100 cars have been stolen.
Now that Marriott has transportation for his family again, he's determined to protect it.
"I'm going to plan on installing an alarm and anti-theft," he said.
As car theft remains a persistent issue in the valley, law enforcement reminds drivers of the importance of taking additional measures to protect their vehicles.
