An unusual and strange case was recorded since a thief decided to return the car he had previously stolen for a reason that was ultimately recognized by the victim and the users of social networks.
Surveillance footage shows that Rosyneide Almeida was parking her car in the garage of her home in the southeastern city of Cariacica in Brazil when she was approached by one of the gunmen.
“He told me to get out because he wanted the car,” Almeida told a Brazilian news agency.
In Brazil, about 500 thousand vehicles are stolen every year, 45% of which is in São Paulo. And it’s worth noting that Brazil has the seventh-highest crime rate in the world, with exceptionally high reports of violent crimes, per World Population Review.
However, the two carjackers appeared to have had a change of heart after they stole a mother’s car at gunpoint and returned it along with a letter of apology, claiming they hadn’t realized her disabled son’s stroller was inside.
Almeida stands by her vehicle before she was approached by armed carjackers outside her home in Cariacica, Brazil. One of the suspects asked her to give up her car.
“I opened the door and pulled them out, took both of them out. I was desperate,” she said.
Almeida was terrified by the incident. But she was also worried about her valuable possessions. Not only did the thieves steal the family vehicle, but they also took a nearly $3,000 stroller that had been donated to the family to help transport their special needs son.
Friends and family helped the embattled mother with a social media campaign to recover the car. It was eventually left on a street and found Tuesday, by an acquaintance. The returned vehicle reportedly had a full tank of gas and a handwritten apology inside.
The note was written in Portuguese and stated, “Crime asks for forgiveness. At the time of the (robbery), it was not possible to see the child’s problem. The car is being returned. Tank is full!!!”
From Daily Mail:
The Caracica civil police’s vehicle theft and robbery unit immediately returned the specialized stroller to Almeida. However, they are retaining possession of the vehicle while they run an investigation to see if they are able to track down the criminals who stole it from the desperate mother at gunpoint.
Almeida told GMS that she was happy to have her car back, but she wanted the criminals who stole it from her to be caught and punished.
“I want them to be caught, so they don’t do this to anyone else. They are heartless people. They don’t deserve anything good in life,” she said.
The mother said that she is still in shock following the ordeal and that it has been difficult for her to sleep at night. She is grateful, however, that her children are safe and that she was able to get her car back.
“I thought they were going to kill us all,” Almeida said of the carjackers. “I thought it was the end.”