A woman has issued a terrifying warning after defrosting her car outside of her home.
Like many drivers do in the winter months, Kasia Wasilewska, 34, briefly popped back into her home in Bentilee as her Nissan Juke was de-icing.
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While the mum was getting an ice scraper from inside the house, her 10-year-old son Fabian was holding the keys besides the car.
The pair were heading to church at around 10.35am on Sunday (December 3).
But when the mum had returned to the vehicle, her son was left seriously shaken up.
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Fabian told her a man had approached him, snatched the car keys and pushed him out of the way, before driving away.
The mum's bank card, ID and driving licence were still in the car and the thief attempted to use Kasia's card to buy a Greggs at a nearby petrol station.
Thankfully she notified her bank and the card was declined.
A 49-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent has been arrested on suspicion of taking a car without the owner’s consent.
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Kasia, who works for a debt collection agency in Stoke, said: "What has happened to us is horrible. It's such a shock. Fabian was pushed out of the way. He was in shock because he didn't know what was going on.
"Thankfully he wasn't hurt but he's still thinking this was his fault when I explained there is nothing he could have done.
"I'd been taking snow off the windscreen and went back in the house to get something to clear the front windscreen.
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"When I came back outside I said what's going on and at first I thought the car had skidded along the road because of the ice. My son said a man had told him to get out of the way, taken the keys out of his hand, pushed him out of the way and then jumped into the car.
"The car was driven off and I called the police straightaway. An attempt was made to use my bank card at a Greggs at a petrol station on Longton Hall Road in Blurton about 40 minutes later.
"We were getting ready to go to church to do preparation for my son's Holy Communion and we were going to go out for tea and cake afterwards. We couldn't go as we had to wait for police to speak to us."
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Kasia added: "I believe there have been a few incidents of cars being stolen when someone was defrosting them. I just want to make people aware of this so it doesn't happen to them.
"We've been left without a car and I am having to rely on friends for lifts to work and to take my son to school."
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: "We have arrested a man after a car was stolen whilst it was defrosting in Stoke-on-Trent. It happened just before 10.45am on Sunday.
"A woman was defrosting her Nissan Juke in Bentilee. Her son was holding the keys when he was approached by a man who grabbed them off him and drove off.
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"We started work straight away to track the car. It was found near Northcote Street on Monday (December 4). A 49-year-old man, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been arrested on suspicion of taking a car without the owner’s consent.
"He is being questioned about what happened in custody today (5 December)."
Inspector Mark Burslem, from the Stoke South local policing team, said: “Vehicle theft is a priority for all ten local policing teams across Staffordshire. We will go after those responsible and we will protect the hard-earned belongings of our communities.
“The cold weather has brought with it an increased number of reports of attempted vehicle thefts whilst cars are being left to defrost. It might be convenient to do so, but it’s also convenient for thieves and opportunists.
“We are urging everyone to stay with their vehicles whilst they are defrosting. By taking extra steps to limit the chances of being targeted by thieves, we can continue to tackle vehicle theft and make progress against those responsible.”
Anish Vij