INDIANAPOLIS — A north side resident is now looking for answers after his beloved family truck was stolen in the middle of the night right out of his own driveway.
“I was a little sad when I found out it was gone,” Bill Siderys said.
When Siderys looks out his window to his driveway, a little piece of him is now missing.
“We’ve had the truck in the family for about 24 years. I got it passed down from my dad maybe five years ago when he passed away," Siderys said.
On Wednesday, Siderys’ beloved 2000 Red Chevy Tahoe, kept in pristine condition, was stolen by a tow truck out of his own driveway at around 3:30 a.m.
To Siderys and his family, the truck is much more than just an everyday vehicle to get around in.
Nicknamed “Big Red,” it holds more than two decades of family memories.
“It’s been around a long time. I think everybody had been in a trip somewhere with it, either driving it themselves up to Chicago or down to college, or all together going back and forth to college,” Siderys said.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, motor vehicle thefts rose 50% at the end of 2023 compared to 2022.
Although the increase is largely attributed to stolen Kia and Hyundai’s, Siderys says he’s heard of several recent thefts in his area, including a car dealership just two-and-a-half miles away.
The dealership says they had six cars stolen from their lot in the middle of the night last Christmas Eve. The damage totals more than $60,000.
“They broke the lock on the rear gate. A white tow truck came in with no license plate on it and yanked six of our vehicles one by one,” Instant Auto Finance sales manager, Willy Pineda, said.
Pineda says on top of taking extra security measures, signs on their windows are now alerting customers. They are also asking for the public’s help.
“We have no identification. The tow truck was a solid white truck. We’re just trying to locate our vehicles. There is a reward out for the recovery of our vehicles,” Pineda said.
For Siderys, no amount of money can replace his family’s beloved Big Red.
“I wasn’t planning on selling it. I was going to keep it, probably pass it off to one of the kids when I was done with it,” he said. “I’d love to have it back if anybody sees it."
