BAD situation, but the BEST possible outcome
Allow me to indulge in a bit of personal therapy as I write this month’s newsletter. On the morning of September 24th, Julie and I returned home from a 2 hour errand to find both garage doors open and both Porsches gone. Our home had been burglarized. The perps hopped a fence and broke in the back door. The keys to the cars were NOT in them, but they found them anyway. Perhaps the location of the car keys with their Porsche key fobs actually led to an abrupt stop to a more comprehensive heist, as not too many other items were taken. We’ll never know.
Aware that the police response time was going to take a while owing to the fact that there was no burglary currently in progress, I proceeded to put the word out on the Intermountain PCA Region and Utah Porsche Club Facebook sites. Between the two sites, this represented a few hundred people. Members then shared the post, and contact information, with other local car clubs. Following the arrival of the police, as well as their confirmation of the burglary and car thefts, and the assignment of an official case number, I contacted the 800 number for “Porsche Car Connect”. Fortunately my 2017 Macan S had this feature which allowed Porsche N.A. to coordinate directly with local law enforcement to track and finally locate the stationary position of the car once it was abandoned. The people on the phone at Porsche Car Connect required only three things from me- 1. the answers to the security questions that I had set up, 2. the case file number for the theft, and 3. the detective contact information in the jurisdiction where the case was filed. From that point, I was completely out of the picture, but it was clear that PCC was working behind the scenes with multiple police departments over the next couple of hours.
In parallel, Facebook community members, some very familiar with my other car, a Cayman R, began to phone in sightings of the car. Despite a chase that eluded police, the car eventually went down a one-way street allowing law enforcement to meet the returning thief with spike strips and guns. The car stopped prior to running over the spikes strips with both the thief and the windshield intact.
The whole ordeal from theft to recovery took about 6 hours. Even though there was an apparent selfie taken on the hood of the Cayman (CSI has images of the footprints on the paint protection film), there was no damage AT ALL. The Macan is still at the dealer, but appears to have suffered little or no damage.
As I relive this ordeal a little bit less each day, the whole situation boils down to 3 important takeaways.
- Our dog Max, who seems to have put up a fight, was left physically unharmed. Like us humans though, he’s clearly going through an adjustment period.
- Cars, even though they are part of a passion for many of us, are still just cars. In the end, they are “things”.
- Porsche and PCA are truly not just about the cars, but about the people. This is just another example of that truth. In the case of the Macan, the car’s own technology helped with the tracking and the final location. And in the case of the Cayman, PCA club members were critical in the first sightings, and eventual recovery.
Julie and I had been scheduled to drive two days later to Rennsport VI in Monterey. We were not ready to depart by Wednesday, nor had we shaken down the Cayman to be certain that it was road ready. So, with Julie’s urging, I hopped a flight to SFO on Thursday, and with some guilt and lots of phone calls with police and insurance folks, still managed to thoroughly enjoy Rennsport. Porsche Cars of North America put on a 4-day Porsche extravaganza that is rivaled by no other car manufacturer. And I was able to catch up with a lot of attendees from throughout Zone 9 during the event. Wherever and whenever it may be, don’t miss Rennsport VII.
And finally at the end of the month, both Julie and I took some time to explore Northern New Mexico, as well as attending the opening of the International Balloon Fiesta at a breakfast hosted by Porsche of Albuquerque. The dealership overlooks the balloon launch field. I really enjoyed putting more faces with names of the Roadrunner region during the opening of the fiesta! Happy to see all of you!
Stay safe,
Rich Sanders
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