WASHINGTON — A D.C. blogger has gone viral for sharing a nightmare of a story that more and more District residents can relate to: having her car stolen.
After Nikki Peele had her Kia Soul stolen right out of her Northeast, D.C. apartment parking garage in February 2023, she took every safety step recommended by police to prevent theft. But fast forward 16 months, and Peele has found herself in the same disappointing boat again.
"On Monday I'm coming out to run an errand," Peele recounted. "I hadn't been to my car all weekend. I was looking as I was coming up and I was like it looks like my car's not there. I was like they actually got it, and so I burst into tears.”
All that was left when she came back to her parking spot was one thing.
"They actually left the ignition in my parking space," Peele said. "If that's not an entire metaphor for how this makes me feel disrespect. I am befuddled and frustrated first off. I feel victimized."
She has chronicled her frustrations on social media, and her videos have been watched thousands of times.
Peele thought she’d safeguarded her car after it was stolen the first time, by using two clubs on her steering wheel, a boot for her tire and several warning stickers about the car having a GPS tracker. She also updated her software after the first theft. The Airtag in the car allowed her to track the stolen car to Temple Hills, Maryland.
“It was so frustrating because I had put so many things in place. I had six layers of protection on my car," Peele said. “My Kia has given me PTSD. When I go to the gas station I put the club on. I’m looking around all the tim. I’m trying to prevent myself of being attacked or being a victim of a crime and all I wanted to do, was have a safe, affordable kind of cute car.”
Peele said she pays $275 for parking monthly and would hope that her apartment complex on the 300 block of M Street in Northeast would help guarantee a sense of safety when it comes to her car.
The hardest part, Peele said, is the sentimental value to her car. From her late grandmother to her dog who passed away and loved to go for rides, she has many memories associated with the car. Peele also has the same vehicle as her mother, and they bond over that.
“The idea of having to give up my vehicle through no faults of my own, it just feels like grief," Peele said.
Now, she's offering advice to others.
“Don’t think that your property is safe," Peele said. “There use to be a saying that you have to be street smart. You almost have to be criminal smart right now. Like you have to see the angles and the vulnerabilities everywhere.”
WUSA9 reached out to the property manager of the property. A spokesperson for LCOR sent a statement saying, “We are working collaboratively with the appropriate authorities and have provided the necessary footage to MPD. The safety and security of our residents will continue to be our top priority. As such, we are reviewing the events surrounding the incident to inform the future protocol and usage of the automated garage system.”
DC police are investigating the car theft and actively searching for the person(s) responsible. Meanwhile, Peele is trying to decide what’s next for her with her car in an impound lot.
“I can’t sell it to an individual person, because they’re not going to want to buy it, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to inflict this on another person," Peele said. "I don’t even know if the dealers will take it and if they do, they’ll lowball me. So what am I supposed to do here?"
RELATED: Kia and Hyundai thefts on the rise
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