A car was stolen from Heritage Halls parking lot 25B the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 26, according to BYU police.
Two suspects were caught on camera taking the vehicle at 2:30 a.m. Sept. 26. Police described the stolen vehicle as a blue 1993 Honda Civic with a cargo carrier attached on the roof. The car has a North Carolina license plate.
BYU police released the following descriptions of the two suspects:
The first suspect is male, between the ages of 25-35, of average build and between 5’9 and 6’0 tall. At the time of the theft, the man was wearing a baseball cap, dark coat and shoes, light-colored pants and a backpack.
The second suspect is male, between the ages of 25-35, of average build, between 5’9 and 6’0 tall and has dark short hair with a beard and a mustache. At the time of the theft, the man was wearing a dark coat, dark-colored pants and shoes and a backpack.
According to police, the suspects arrived on scene in a Honda Accord and parked in the Creamery on Ninth parking lot at 2:07 a.m. The suspects left in the stolen Honda Civic at 2:33 a.m., and the Honda Accord was left in the Creamery on Ninth parking lot.
The Honda Accord is not listed as stolen at this time, according to police.
Samuel Stockwell, the owner of the stolen Honda Civic, parked his car at Heritage Halls Parking Lot 25B on Sept. 25 at 6:00 a.m. after returning from the gym.
On Sept. 26, Stockwell left his apartment to return to the gym and discovered his car was missing at 4:45 a.m.
Stockwell is a sophomore from North Carolina studying pre-business at BYU. Stockwell said he bought and repaired his vehicle with hopes of trekking across the country in his car.
Stockwell said that his car was a symbol for “following through and achieving ambitious goals.” In August he and his sister embarked on a 3,000 mile trip making stops in Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
Stockwell said he’s shocked anyone would steal a car parked beside 900 East and he’s hoping for a miracle — that the car will be found and returned.
“While the car has a lot value to me, at the end of the day, it’s just a car. It can be replaced,” Stockwell said. “I’m grateful I took advantage of the opportunity to have fun with the car while I had it, and pray it miraculously makes it back to me.”
BYU Police officer Randall Clement met Stockwell near Heritage Halls the morning of the theft. Stockwell said the police arrived within 15 minutes after contacting them about the theft. Police have been in frequent contact with Stockwell with case updates.
BYU police reported that the stolen vehicle was locked at the time of the theft, and further encouraged students to lock their vehicles.
“BYU Police are encouraging students to lock their vehicles, remove any valuables and immediately report any incidents or suspicious activity to BYU Police at 801-422-0911,” BYU Police said in a mass email sent via BYU University Communications.
Students are particularly vulnerable to theft because of a tendency to leave cars unlocked, according to Provo community police officers.
