'Scared and confused': 9-year-old Calgary girl recalls terrifying experience being stuck in stolen vehicle

9-year-old, father recount harrowing experience A family whose vehicle was stolen with their 9-year-old still inside is sharing their experience, and a warning for all families.

A Calgary girl who was sitting in her dad's vehicle when it was stolen on Monday night is speaking out about the horrifying experience, along with her father.

Joe Delorme says he and his daughter Alexis were in his Saturn Vue, ready to leave his girlfriend's McKenzie Lake home when he popped back inside to grab a bag of laundry from the front hallway.

Delorme left the Saturn running and unlocked in the driveway.

That's when an unknown woman jumped inside and drove away.

He says it only took about 10 seconds for the theft to occur.

"Worst feeling in my life," he told CTV News.

Alexis, meanwhile, says she was in shock and felt “scared and confused.”

"She was quiet," she said of the thief. "She cut off a car and said, 'Sorry, sorry.' She might have been talking to someone on the phone, but I don't know."

Police rushed to the home, located in the 100 block of McKerrell Gardens S.E.

Officers found the vehicle a short time later in the 0-100 block of Sun Harbour Road S.E., in the community of Sundance, less than 10 minutes away.

The thief abandoned the Saturn with Alexis still inside, unharmed.

The suspect left in another vehicle driven by someone else. Police say it appears the suspect and the driver knew each other.

Alexis describes the second vehicle as a black car with tinted windows.

After being left alone in her father's Saturn, Alexis says she took steps to protect herself.

"I went in the front seat, locked the door and whenever someone came by, I unlocked it and tried making them stop," she said.

After two unsuccessful attempts, a third passerby did stop.

"I opened the door, I stood in the car, I held onto the handle thing that was on the roof, and then I waved my hands asking for them to stop."

She says the passerby asked if she was okay. She explained what happened and then they called her dad.

"The officer actually had my phone in his hand because I had pictures of my vehicle,” Delorme said. "We literally just got it, so I didn't even know the licence plate number.

"He's like, 'Do you know this number?' And I was like, 'No, answer it.' And we answered it, and it was Alexis.

"Honestly, it made me sicker," he said. "I'm not even going to lie. I puked my guts up, but it was a relief all at the same time."

'Lock your door'

The incident has been a sobering one for Delorme.

"Make sure you lock your door, don't leave your kid when it's running," he said. "It is a very scary situation that I don't want anybody else to go through. It was sickening. Sickening."

Delorme's girlfriend, Stephanie Matchem, says it was only about 17 to 18 minutes from the time they called police to when Alexis called.

She says the couple went looking for Alexis, hoping to catch up with the car.

"(I'm) thankful that it wasn't outside of the city and somewhere that they couldn't find her," she said.

"You just think you're in a really good spot and good neighbourhood, that it won't happen to you, but it can happen anywhere," Matchem cautioned.

'Picking up the message'

Sgt. Nick Wilsher with the Calgary Police Service crime prevention team says car thefts like this are crimes of opportunity.

He said police are seeing a decrease in the number of vehicle thefts, likely because more vehicles have push-to-start and remote-control options.

"We've seen slight drops over the year," he said. "We've seen a slight drop in this as people are picking up on the message."

Police say the suspect remains at large.

Investigators are seeking dash-cam footage from between 8:45 and 9 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2024, that may show a red 2004 Red Saturn Vue SUV travelling westbound on Stoney Trail S.E., from Lake McKenzie to Sundance, and then travelling northbound on Sun Valley Boulevard S.E.

Anyone with dash-cam footage or information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.