Stripped vehicle abandoned for days in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park
OAKLAND, Calif. - A stripped car was abandoned on a playground at a popular park in the Oakland hills.
The vehicle, a white Infiniti Q50, had its front and back bumper stripped off, and the trunk lid and tires were also missing.
"It's tough. It was very emotional. I've had this car for a long time," said owner Derrick Tisdale.
The car sat untouched in the park until it was towed by Oakland police on Thursday evening.
It had been stolen from Tisdale's home in Berkeley on Tuesday. Through social media, he learned that thieves had taken his car to the park, propped it up on cement blocks and tree branches, and stripped it of its tires, bumpers and steering wheel.
"All of those parts that are missing are aftermarket parts, and I purchased them," Tisdale said. "Some of them are custom. I installed them myself."
Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran said, "The sad reality is our dept of transportation sees one to two abandoned autos in parks every week."
She said in this case, the initial complaint to Oakland’s ‘311 system wasn't put in the proper channel for abandoned cars.
"I know the department of transportation is trying to get a handle on this as soon as possible, but the volume is very clearly outpacing the team’s capacity right now," Ramachandran said.
Tisdale had this message for the thieves: "I really hope that you get into a better line of work because this is hurting families, this is hurting people."
An Oakland rresident shared photos of the dumped vehicle near the swing area at the Joaquin Miller Park playground.
The resident, who requested anonymity, said that he has grown accustomed to abandoned cars being found in his neighborhood and stolen catalytic converters, but a "stripped car resting on wood branches on the playground is new."
The man said his neighbors don't bother to report certain crimes.
"There is no way to quantify just how bad crime has become, and I believe that many hills residents have simply given up reporting property crimes to Oakland police," the resident said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
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