A year after a couple’s car was stolen on Thanksgiving, Philadelphia police say car thefts are down

A year ago, A South Philadelphia couple had their car stolen on Thanksgiving nightbut the worst thing for them was that they lost their walker and cane, which were in the back seat.

Lynn and John Petroski’s Hyundai Sonata was stolen right in front of their South Philadelphia townhouse, where it was parked in the designated handicapped spot.

“To be honest, I was more worried about the cane and walker than the car. In the worst case scenario, we could take buses and the like. “He can’t go anywhere without the cane and walker,” Lynn Petroski said of her husband, John, 77, who lives with a myriad of health issues that require him to use a cane or walker when leaving the house.

CBS News Philadelphia reported her story the next day Strangers helped by donating walkers and canes. The Petroskis ended up with more than they needed, so they ended up donating most of the walkers and canes they received.

“The neighbors were amazing,” John Petroski said.

Police found the Petroskis’ car within days and had it repaired by Christmas. Last year, more than 20,000 cars were stolen in the city, breaking all previous records. A CBS News Philadelphia investigation found that Hyundais and Kias accounted for over 60% of stolen vehicles, possibly due to an instructional video that became popular on social media.

“I think the bad guys know we’re out to get them, we do a really good investigation,” Lt. Brian Geer of the Philadelphia Police Major Crimes Auto Squad.

According to the police, 13,803 cars were stolen in 2022, last year there were 23,629 and this year as of November 17th, 14,088.

The Petroskis say they are grateful for their car and for each other and hope Thanksgiving night will be much quieter this year.