PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The story of a Portland man who has now recovered 62 stolen vehicles has taken another turn. This week, he was successful in returning a truck to its rightful owner, but this time there was an armed confrontation and it was caught on a surveillance camera.
Nick Haas works on cars for a living, but due to an increase in car thefts in Portland, he’s started searching for stolen cars in his spare time.
This week, he noticed a unique stolen Ford F-250 Super Duty that had been posted on Facebook appear on his surveillance video at work. So he rounded up his employees and went outside to confront the thief.
In the video, you can see Nick confront man who was inside the stolen truck at gunpoint. At one point, the suspect tried to jump back in the truck to get away. In the following interaction, you can see suspect pull a gun of his own, before running off.
Police told KOIN 6 once they arrived, they say they recovered the thief’s phone and found a Sawzall, two catalytic converters, and drug paraphernalia inside the stolen truck. Haas and police then helped return the truck to its owner.
“We intervened, we pulled him away from the vehicle at gunpoint and told him to kick rocks. We have his phone and his identity and we’re handing it over to authorities making sure that justice gets served,” Haas said
So, what started out for Haas as helping a friend find his stolen motorcycle, has now turned into a community effort.
If you happen to have additional details about the stolen 2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck, PPB is asking you to email them at crimetips@portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 22-64219.
Sherwood police say it was stolen from an auto body shop on Wednesday last week.
According to data from the Portland Police Bureau, more than 10,000 cars were reported within the last 12 months. Car thefts soared in 2021, compared the previous six years.
Because of the police shortage, Haas hopes to create a non-profit to continue this work and take a load off the city of Portland and its law-abiding citizens.
KOIN 6 News reporter Elise Haas is of no relation to Nick Haas referenced in this story.