This man tried to steal a bright red car at Walmart—he wasn’t even slick about it. And to make matters worse, he chose one of the most recognizable and beloved cars in America: a cherry red Corvette.
Corvettes are one of the most iconic American sports cars, known for their sleek design, powerful performance, and pop culture cameos. They also offer a more accessible price point compared to their European counterparts while still delivering that sports car thrill.
And when one gets messed with in public, people notice.
Caught Red-Handed
In a trending video with more than 175,000 views, Walmart customer Steven Joel (@stevenjoelg) caught the crime on camera. In the video, you can see a red Corvette that’s flashing its lights and beeping (somewhat quietly for an alarm sound).
“Wild. In broad daylight, bro,” Joel exclaimed.
Joel shared that he saw the person break into the car by breaking the window. While he told the Walmart worker at the door what was happening, the worker “just did not care.”
“Wtf,” Joel said.
“Come on Walmart you got to do better,” Joel said in the text overlay of a follow-up video.
In it, you can see that nearly the entire driver’s side window of the car was smashed out and left on the floor of the parking lot.
What’s arguably the wildest part of this whole situation (aside from doing it in broad daylight) is that the car wasn’t even concealed in the back of the parking lot, where maybe fewer people would see. Instead, it was smack dab in the front, about as close as you can get to the entrance.
In fact, there were at least three other people walking up to the store who were around to witness the crime.
“Sad,” Joel concludes.
Should the Walmart Worker Have Done More?
While people are calling the worker out in the comments section for being ambivalent, a criminal law site pointed out that even Walmart’s loss prevention agents aren’t allowed to touch or detain you if you leave the store with a stolen item, and they certainly can’t chase you.
If that’s inside the store, you can imagine that they don’t have much more power to stop a crime in progress in the parking lot. Nor are they trained or paid enough to do all of that and put themselves in harm’s way.
Instead, the worker or Joel himself could have called the police.
What Are the Consequences of Stealing a Car?
Stealing a car is a felony theft offense, and punishments can vary from state to state depending on the circumstances of the crime and whether the accused has any prior convictions, according to the Criminal Defense Lawyer site.
If convicted, a person will face one or more of the following punishments:
- Prison time. It usually lasts up to five years, but can be more.
- A hefty fine
- Restitution, which is when you pay the victim back for damage to the vehicle or for its value.
How Much Is a Corvette Worth?
A new Corvette can run from about $70,000 to a smooth $200,000, depending on the model and features.
Used, the latest mid-engine C8 models can go for as little as $56,000, which is double the average cost of a used car.
Commenters React
“You wanted security to be a hero,” a top comment read.
“The guy at the front was too busy checking receipts,” a second viewer joked.
“Nobody wanna die over someone else car, if they [steal] it broad daylight they clearly don’t care about anything. Just report and keep it pushing,” another reasoned.
Motor1 reached out to Joel for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Walmart via email. We’ll update this article if either responds.
