PHOENIX — A woman whose car was stolen at knifepoint said the suspect keeps trying to use her card at stores in the Valley. Police are searching for the suspect and the car.
"I just had to watch this guy drive away in my car," Rose Karch-Horta said.
Karch-Horta told 12News she and her 11-year-old niece were at Sonic near 19th Avenue and Hatcher Road on Saturday, Jan. 20, around 10 p.m. waiting for their order when a man pointed a knife at her and ordered them to get out of the car.
“He kept repeating 'don’t try anything, don’t try anything, I’m being serious'," Karch-Horta said,
The man left the scene and still has not been found, police said.
Karch-Horta said everything she owned was in the car, including her wallet, personal documents and her son's baby photos.
“I have no money. I have no debit cards. I don’t have nothing. Everything was in my car," Karch-Horta said. "I don’t have any diapers. I don’t have any wipes. I can’t get anything. I can’t even get a new car seat for my kid.”
The suspect used Karch-Horta's card at a convenience store on 19th Avenue and Camelback Road, she said. He then tried to get gas near 36th Avenue and Camelback Road but was unsuccessful.
“He spent over $80 but he had half of my rent money inside that car," Karch-Horta said.
Karch-Horta created a GoFundMe page to help recover the cost of her loss. Donations can be made here.
Karch-Horta described the suspect as a Black medium-build man, mid-40s to 50s with gray hair and a goatee. He was wearing a navy blue hoodie with jeans, she said. The car is described as a blue 2007 Toyota Camry with low-profile tires and anime stickers on the back windows. The license plate number is N4A 3TL.
Anyone with information on this crime can call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377.
Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.
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