Posted on 04/16/2014 1:53:15 PM PDT by nickcarraway
"Is this your car or do you know whose it is? Looking for the owner who potentially wears a lot of necklaces and enjoys San Pellegrino sodas. I didn't steal your car but I think my mom may have. It's a long story. I'll explain, but your car is safe and sound."
When Nekisia Davis, a Red Hook granola maker, took a weekend trip to Miami with her friends earlier this month, she used her extra airline miles to fly her mother up from Houston to dog-sit. In addition to taking care of Ruby, Davis's Pomeranian mix, her mom was tasked with moving the group's vehicles. "My car's the Fiat, Betsy's is the CRV, Deanna has a green Honda," Davis instructed her.
"She sent a text later saying that all the cars were successfully moved: 'I'm so proud of myself,'" Davis explained this morning to Daily Intelligencer from Fort Defiance, the neighborhood café where the bizarre sign above is posted. It wasn't until they got back from vacation that things got weird. Davis and her friends arrived from Florida late on Monday night, but Deanna couldn't find her car where it was supposed to be, one block south of where it was when she left it, closer to the water. She spent the night on the couch and decided to deal with it in the morning.
"Well, that's the car that I moved with your keys," said Davis's mom the next day, pointing at a four-door, green Honda Civic. "Deanna wears a lot of necklaces, and this car had a bunch of necklaces around the mirror. It just seemed like Deanna's car," said Davis.
As it turns out, Honda keys — as the long-rumored urban legend goes — really do work on more than one vehicle, or at least Deanna's did. "Deanna's car was right where she left it. It didn't get towed; it didn't even get ticketed," said Davis. "Sometimes they're not so vigilant on the side streets around here."
The car Davis's mom managed to move has California plates, she said, and local business owners remembered seeing the couple driving to take a distillery tour on Sunday. "It's like a small town down here," said Davis. "Everybody knows everybody."
She believes the car was reported stolen, but said police at the local 76th precinct have not been helpful. "I called the cops. They were like, 'I'm sorry, this sounds suspicious, and I don't really believe you.'" (A detective at the precinct told Daily Intelligencer that he couldn't comment, but would look into it. Update, 1:15 p.m.: The NYPD has confirmed that the car was reported stolen on Sunday, April 6. An officer has been sent to recover the vehicle while they try to get in touch with the owner.)
Davis said the signs haven't generated any leads yet, but that she has told the story to a few curious drunk people who'd called about it. "The car's still parked on my street. I don't know what to do!" she said. "It's going to get ticketed on Friday."
As for her mom, back in Texas, she has a new story to tell at parties. "This is just a true situation of a mom who was trying to do a good deed and stole a car," said Davis. "She keeps saying, 'I think we should pitch it to Ellen!'"
This sounds like something I would do.
That looks like a 90’s model Honda. And I was gonna say... For over a decade now car keys have chips in them that make it impossible to start the wrong car.
You MIGHT unlock it - but not start it.
I would have made a nice Seinfeld episode.
A friend of mine got into, started up, and almost drove away with the wrong Lexus SUV before he realized he wasn’t in his own car.
You’d think these high-tech auto manufacturers could provide more security than your suitcase key.
I have done something similar. Came out of the mall, unlocked my car, put the bags in the back seat, got in.
Took a good look around and said to my self. “Self, who cleaned the car, cause I know it wasn’t me.”
Sat for a few more minutes and realized this was not my white VW Rabbit. Got out, got my bags, locked it and looked around. My car was about six cars down the row.
My car was stolen about a year later and found with a blown head gasket about 2 blocks from my home.
Nekisia
Reminds me of a story:
(Why does it make me feel so old to say that?)
One time shortly after he moved here from CT in 2008, my husband had me run into the grocery store to get some money for him from the ATM machine. He wanted $250, drives a gold Toyota. He was going to pick me back up, at the door. It was a busy time for the store, with lots of people going in and out, cars working slowly across the front edge of the parking lot.
I went in and got the cash, but only $240, since ATMs only give out $20 bills. I was holding the cash in hand, came out of the store, and a gold car was waiting at the door. I opened the door, jumped in, and said something about I could only get $240, handing it toward the driver.
The driver, who happened to be a young teen, probably 16 or 17, was certainly not expecting a strange, middle-aged woman to get into his car and give him money. OMG I could not even believe that really happened. Apologized, tried to explain to him... he probably was shaken up for longer than I was.
Funny. You can jump into my car and give me money any time.
No chip in my Hyundai keys. Just a regular key. Opens the door and starts the car.
I know someone this happened to. There were two identical white Cadillacs at the country club, and it turned out the keys worked on each car as well. The valet brought the other car to my acquaintance by mistake, and their Cadillac ended up with the other owner. Since it was dark, they didn’t notice until the next morning and then had to sort it out with the country club in tracking down the other owner.
This was horribly written.
One would think the NY Times magazine would hire people who can write and edit.
You just posted her phone number and e-mail address for every DU lurker who visits here.
LOL!! Great story - sounds very much like something I might do!
Not every car uses a chipped key, especially the lower end models. My 2007 F350 doesn’t, but my ‘97 Lincoln does.
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