One minute, you’re cruising home, thinking about dinner. The next moment, a cop pulls you over. The officer breaks the news: “Sir, your car was reported as stolen…” Stolen? That’s news to you. But then it hits you—this all started with an unassuming conversation you had earlier.
A joke gone wrong
One driver shared his traffic stop story on Reddit. he said it all started with some errands. It was supposed to be a quick stop at the ATM. In and out, grab some cash, and get back on the road. No hassle.
But it was freezing outside. No way was he turning off the engine. He wrote, “I left the engine running and locked the doors.” No big deal—he had a spare key in his work coat.
As he walked back, a middle-aged woman gave him a knowing look. She assumed the running car was unlocked and scolded, “Well, if I were you I’d be scared to get my car stolen!”
She meant well. But he couldn’t resist teasing her. He said, “Yea, don’t worry, it’s not my car.”
Then, the kicker: He immediately unlocked the door, got in, and drove off. Laughing.
When the law catches up to you
A few miles down the road, reality hit—hard. Blue and red lights. A cop on his tail. Not great, but not terrible. He decided he’d been caught speeding. “I wasn’t confused, I thought he caught me speeding cause I was going 65 ish in a 50 zone,” he explained.
The officer was calm, collected. Asked for his papers. Looked at him carefully. Then—“Sir, your car was reported as stolen by a concerned citizen 10 minutes ago, any idea what happened?” That’s when it clicked. The lady. The joke. The perfect storm of bad decisions.
The driver couldn’t hold it in—he burst out laughing. Probably not the best reaction. But how else do you react when accused of stealing your own car? Between gasps for air, he told the whole story. The ATM. The lady. The ill-timed joke. The cop listened. No ticket. No cuffs. Just a smirk and a shake of the head.
So, what’s the lesson here? Maybe don’t joke about stealing a car in front of strangers. Maybe keep the comedy routine for friends. Or maybe, just maybe, don’t make any jokes at all when your car is running unattended. Because next time? The cop might not be in such a good mood.
You can see the original Reddit post embedded below:
TIFU by stealing my own car.
by intifu
