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Woman helping friend in wheelchair sees man steal her car in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood

"I rarely leave my car running and the one time I do, someone walks by and takes it," Tam O'Donnell said. Her car is still missing.

SEATTLE — On Thursday morning, Tam O'Donnell went over to her friend's house in the Ravenna neighborhood to drive her friend, who is in a wheelchair, to the hospital. 

O'Donnell left her car running while she went inside to help her friend get to the car. 

While the two women were making their way to the car, a man walked through the street towards O'Donnell's car and got in the driver's side. Moments later, that person took off in O'Donnell's car. The crime was caught on surveillance video from a Ring camera on the porch. 

"What can you do? You can't really chase a car down," O'Donnell said. 

O'Donnell called 911 and Seattle Police took a report. Her car is still missing. 

"It's pretty shocking just the way it happened, right in front of us," O'Donnell said. 

Luckily the crime was caught on camera so police have video evidence of what happened. The man who stole the car may not be able to get very far either. 

"I have the key. So whenever he stops the car or runs out of gas, I don't know if he'll be able to start it again," O'Donnell said. 

O'Donnell is hoping someone has seen her car which is a lighter blue 2015 Toyota Highlander with a bike rack and US Navy license plate holder. 

Credit: Tam O'Donnell

Seattle Police say the video shows a "solo white male, unknown age, 5'9, 170 pounds, walk up to the vehicle and drive away. The suspect was wearing a white hat, purple/white letterman style jacket and blue jeans."

O'Donnell is hoping to get her car back as soon as possible.

"We have other things going on in our life too so it's a bummer but I mean, it's a car, life goes on," she said. 

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