The King County Sheriff’s Office is sharing another cautionary tale about why it’s so important not to leave your car unattended while it warms up:

On 12/26/19, a Toyota Matrix was left running outside of a house to warm up, on 5th Ave SW in the White Center area.

A thief took advantage and stole the car.

Five days later, on 12/31/19, an unknown person was driving the stolen vehicle westbound in the 1000 block of S 136th Street, SeaTac, at a high rate of speed. The vehicle drifted right and struck a legally parked Chevrolet Silverado.

The right front passenger in the stolen car sustained a critical head injury and was unresponsive when transported to Harborview. The driver, possibly a male, was seen fleeing the scene. A K9 track occurred but the suspect was not located.

If anyone has information on who was driving the stolen vehicle you are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206/296-3311 and reference the case number C19050220, or leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at p3tips.com.