Video: Man Attempts to Steal Car In Front of Cops

Lansdale Police are looking for an unidentified man who attempted to steal a vehicle early Friday morning from the parking lot of Saldutti Vehicle Remarketing on West Fifth Street in the borough.

Patch obtained copies of surveillance footage of the incident from both Saldutti and an adjacent business.

In the videos, a white male wearing a white sleeveless shirt, light colored shorts, and white shoes is seen arriving in the parking lot at 1:22 a.m. Friday. This footage was captured by the surveillance system of the adjacent business.

The man is seen walking through the parking lot towards the Saldutti building.

The man next appears on footage taken by a Saldutti camera. He is seen entering the building at 1:27 a.m. Less than a minute later, he is seen exiting the building, at which point his face is clearly visible.

"He broke in the back door, stole keys, and walked out into the parking lot," said Mario Saldutti, owner of the business.

Saldutti added that the while the man was inside the building, he had to walk past multiple eye-level signs stating that video surveillance was in place.

An additional piece of footage shows the man returning to the parking lot at 1:28 a.m. Apparently unaware of which vehicle's keys he's holding, he is seen walking around the lot, trying several vehicles before identifying the correct one.

"When he was outside, it showed him looking around to find the vehicle that he had the key fob to," said Saldutti. "The lights were blinking, but he wasn't looking. He was walking around, just hitting the key fob, not knowing which car it belonged to."

Police are seen arriving at the property at 1:31 a.m. One patrol car entered the lot with its lights off, while another parked near the lot's entrance. The officer driving that car exited the vehicle.

The man attempting to steal the vehicle appears unaware of the police until the patrol car inside the lot shone its spotlight directly on him. 

He then put the car into drive, made a hard left, and exited the parking lot between the second officer and the second officer's vehicle.  The officer located within the parking lot turned his lights on and began pursuit, with the second officer following closely behind. The video ends with the police chasing the man toward Fifth Street. 

Police reported that the man later jumped out of the stolen vehicle and fled on foot.  Police were able to retrieve the vehicle, but were unable to locate the suspect.

Reward offered

Mario Saldutti stated he is offering a $500 reward to the first person who is able to provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the alleged car thief.

If you have information, please contact the Lansdale Police Department at 215-368-1800. 

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