Woman returned from lunch to find her car deeply keyed — but one piece of footage meant they didn’t have to pay a penny
Returning to a parked car and spotting a long scratch across the door is enough to leave any driver searching for an explanation. That is what happened to a Reddit user who came back from lunch and found deep damage running from their rear door to the fuel cap. They had not argued with anyone or taken another driver's parking spot, so the damage seemed completely random. On Monday, September 14, 2026, they shared the incident in a post along with details of the evidence that helped them avoid paying for the repairs.
They checked the damage before opening their dashcam app to review the parking footage. The recording showed a man walking past their car, pulling out his keys and dragging them along the door before getting into the SUV parked beside it. The footage also captured the vehicle's license plate clearly as it left the parking space about 10 seconds later. That stroke of luck gave the owner clear evidence of the culprit and allowed them to report the incident. The motorist then sent the video to the police and their insurance company. The recording showed the act itself and the vehicle involved, giving the case complete evidence. The other driver's insurance company agreed to cover the cost of repainting the full side panel. The person responsible was also dealing with a vandalism report.
The driver could not understand why a stranger would be so negligent and said, "What kind of pleasure did he get by ruining someone else's car?" They added that the fact that it happened during broad daylight when people are around makes the story even more insane. Thanks to modern technology, including cameras, finding culprits has become easier. In another incident, a homeowner became suspicious after fuel kept disappearing from a container in his backyard. His lawnmower used only a small amount, but the gas can was repeatedly left "nearly empty." He then set up an old laptop webcam with motion detection software. The camera soon recorded his neighbor entering the yard and taking fuel shortly after he left home that day.
Rather than confronting the man, the homeowner came up with an unusual response. For several days, he filled the gas can with his own urine, hoping the thief would mistake it for fuel. He then pretended to leave home for a trip. After returning about an hour later, he found the neighbor struggling with the lawnmower. He eventually drove away, but his car broke down a few blocks away, confirming he had taken the bait. The owner also cross-checked the gas can, and indeed it was empty, making the revenge a success.
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