Milwaukee man's truck stolen, finds it less than 5 miles from home
MILWAUKEE - Stolen and now recovered, a Milwaukee man found his stolen truck after taking matters into his own hands.
A story about a thief in the night turned into an early morning miracle for Darrick Tate.
"I thank God for that because I try to be a good man," Tate said.
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Ring cameras captured several suspects stealing Tate's 2012 gray Ford F-150 more than a week ago from right outside his home near 23rd Street and Verona Court. Inside were work tools he says are worth more than $3,000.
He filed a police report that day and never lost hope.
"I recovered my vehicle and I didn't think I would, but I took matters into my own hand," Tate said.
Early Tuesday morning, he found the vehicle just before 1 a.m., while Ubering to earn extra cash and aimlessly using his key fob.
Milwaukee police say he flagged down officers, telling them he located the truck near South 11th Street and Mineral, less than five miles from his house.
Milwaukee man's truck stolen; vehicle thefts up in 2024
A Milwaukee man's truck was recently stolen by thieves he said targeted his block on the city's southside.
"I heard the horn go beep beep beep, I said, ‘wait a minute’ and I clicked it again," he recalled. "I said, ‘no, it can't be,’ and I came around this corner. The truck was calling my name."
Tate said there is some damage and a mirror was ripped from the cab. The license plate is missing, along with his tools.
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"Spending my money, using my hard-earned money to buy these tools every day [...] for me to lose that, really hurts me," he said.
He wanted to send a message to the suspects.
"Stop what you doing, because you gone get somebody hurt, or get yourself hurt," Tate said. "And you just causing turmoil in families' lives. That is unnecessary."
Tate said he later learned from his dealership there was a spare key in the car in the glove compartment that was likely used by the suspects.
Now when it comes to how many car thefts there have been this year, the latest Milwaukee police data shows 4,500 thefts have been reported.
The police department is reminding people to park in a well-lit area, take your vehicle's key, close and lock all windows and doors, park in a locked garage and never leave anything valuable in your vehicle.