News release

Drivers, lock your vehicles while warming them up

December 31, 2025 - Fort St John, British Columbia
From: Fort St. John RCMP

Content

PSA – Secure your idling vehicle this winter

The Fort St John RCMP wishes to remind the public that it is imperative that they lock their vehicle when not attended, especially while Fort St John is experiencing the continued cold and many drivers run their vehicle to warm them up prior to use.

Overnight, two vehicles that were idling to warm up or keep warm were stolen.  Early this morning, at just after 1:00am, a vehicle that had been running was stolen from a restaurant parking lot.  A few hours earlier, On Tuesday, December 30, at 11:09pm, an idling SUV was stolen outside of a liquor store while it was warming up.

“It is our experience in winter that when a vehicle was stolen while running, the owners had typically failed to secure their vehicle, even if it was just for a few short minutes,” said Constable Chad Neustaeter, Media Relations Officer for the Fort St John RCMP.  “This creates avoidable hardships for the owners and unnecessary work for the police.”

Thieves are always looking for easy targets. Leaving a vehicle unlocked with keys in the ignition make the vehicle a prime target for getting stolen.  Often the vehicle is not located and has personal identification or belongings in it which can be used for identity theft and are difficult to replace. 

The Fort St John RCMP wish all motorists a safe and secure winter driving season.