Car stolen in Columbia while left warming up

Columbia Police are searching for a stolen vehicle that was taken while left running to warm up.

Police were called to the 2700 block of Quail Drive just after 4 a.m. Saturday morning. The victim told police he was heating up his car when someone hoped in and stole it.

This isn’t the first time a car has been stolen under similar circumstance.

In fact, since Dec. 1, the Columbia Police Department has had more than seven reports of cars being stolen while left running to warm up.

In order to protect yourself, the Columbia Police Department recommends drivers never leave a car running while away from it, always roll up windows and lock your car, never leave valuables in plain sight and park in well-lit, public areas.