New York woman frustrated by car theft investigation at Montreal airport

A New York woman is wondering if she will ever fly out of Montreal again after her car was stolen from an airport parking lot, and she says police are doing little to help her find it.

Last Wednesday, Selma Mededovic drove to Montreal to fly out of Trudeau International Airport. When she returned four days later, her 2023 Toyota Highlander was gone.

“The feeling was terrible,” said Mededovic, who called Montreal police for help.

When she called Toyota, the company was able to locate her Highlander and send police its location, but Mededovic said she didn’t think police were interested in finding it.

“They said, ‘Yes, your car is at the port somewhere.’ That’s what he said. “It’s in one of the containers, so we won’t go there,” she said.

Police have already intervened at the port of Montreal, seizing hundreds of stolen cars.

In an email to CTV News, Montreal police said they do not comment on specific cases, but added they take the problem of motor vehicle theft seriously.

Since then, Mededovic said she has not heard anything from the police and doubts they will do anything.

“Just tell me it’s a dead end,” she said.

Selma Mededovic expressed frustration that Montreal police didn’t do more to locate her stolen car (CTV News)About 75 cars have been stolen near the airport since January, according to the city of Montreal.

Mededovic said a Toyota Highlander was also stolen from the same parking lot last year by one of her co-workers.

In a statement sent to CTV News, Aeroports de Montreal said: “This is obviously a matter of great concern to ADM… we have added patrol officers specifically assigned to parking lots and on-site surveillance cameras. Our teams are closely monitoring the situation 24 hours a day.”

Thieves prey on long-term parking lots, said George Iny, director of the Automobile Protection Association.

Travelers should better not take their cars, he warned.

“Get a friend to drive you, take a taxi or Uber,” he said.

Mededovic stated that the situation left her hopeless and she questioned whether she would ever go to Montreal again.