Woman's Car Stolen While Getting Oil Change

NORTHRIDGE (CBSLA) — Vicky Meredith has been taking her car to a Northridge shop for more than a decade to get her oil changed.

But on November 3 she said the service was taking awhile.

"About an hour had passed and I asked where's my car?" Meredith said.

When she checked in with the owner they realized her car was gone.  They looked at security video and saw a man casually walk up to it and drive off. Another angle shows the suspected thief walking down the alley beforehand.

"When I saw the video I was just in shock and disgust that someone could do something like that," Meredith said.

The shop owner says the keys had been left inside the car, usual protocol when employees have to constantly move vehicles.

"It happened to one of my nicest customers, that's really bad.  Hopefully they catch this person," Steve Sebouh Donoyan.

The owner says in his 15 years in business he's never had a car stolen, but now makes sure no keys are ever left inside the vehicles.

Meredith says she did her own investigating and found that the man, wearing the same clothes, had been at a nearby store moments earlier and their security cameras caught a clearer image of him.

Since the crook stole Meredith's house keys as well she had to change her locks and is now driving a rental.

She say she'll keep coming back here for oil changes but will just do things differently.

"My process now is going to be to not leave my keys or my car out of my sight," Meredith said.

The woman's car was found Monday in Harbor City but the suspected thief has not been found. If you recognize the man in the video you are asked to call LAPD.