DENVER (KDVR) — As colder weather heads toward Denver, law enforcement agencies are reminding people not to leave their cars running to get them warmed up.
It’s a phenomenon called “puffing.” Many cars are stolen every year from owners who step away from their vehicles for just a few minutes.
Leaving a vehicle running unattended when it can be stolen is against the law in Colorado. Some metro cities report several automobiles left running are stolen weekly.
The Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority said that thieves are constantly watching for running cars left unattended.
Puffing cars, the organization said, contributed to Colorado becoming the state with the most auto thefts per capita in the nation in 2022 and 2023. FOX31 learned that puffing usually produces a white puff of smoke from a tailpipe that thieves are always looking for.
“To the thieves that is a glowing mark there is a car running unattended. Steal me. Steal me,” said CATPA Statewide Public Outreach Coordinator Cale Gould.
CATPA said that thieves love to steal all kinds of vehicles. Even old ones.
Law enforcement agencies say stolen cars can be used in all kinds of crime and after thieves are done with them, they are left behind and usually ruined. The Auto Theft Prevention Authority notes that it is legal to leave a car running if it has a system that prevents it from being stolen.
