Police allegedly damaged a legally parked car while pursuing a suspected car thief.
But after damaging the vehicle, officers never returned to inform the vehicle owner.
A neighbor's surveillance camera captured the accident and notified the owner of the damaged vehicle. The SUV suffered extensive front-end damage, and it won't start.
Jordan Hobson's roommate owns the vehicle.
"I was like, 'It wasn't a regular individual. It was an officer. It was a police officer,'" Hobson told Action News investigative reporter Chad Pradelli.
He says it's fortunate his neighbor had cameras outside her home.
"It woke me up. So, I look out my window, and I just see cops rolling by," said a neighbor, who didn't want to be identified.
The accident happened in the wee hours of April 25 while police were searching for an alleged car thief. Cameras captured him appearing to run from the police.
Hobson says he and his roommate went to the 15th police district to report the accident.
"So, we went around to the police district and they was oblivious to the situation," Hobson added.
The police department denied our request for an on-camera interview but released a statement saying the incident was under investigation with internal affairs.
"When police are involved in a crash of unattended vehicles, departmental policy requires officers to stop, notify police radio, and request a supervisor, and officers are expected to make all reasonable efforts to identify or notify the owner, including knocking on doors and leaving contact information when appropriate," the statement said.
"So, we showed them the video, and they seen it, and they seen that it was hit, they told us to reach out to risk management department," Hobson says.
It's been more than a month since the accident, and Hobson's roommate still has no car. She has shelled out hundreds to have it towed for repair quotes, and paid more for Ubers and rental cars. Risk management tells her it's processing the claim.
"They said once they get all the documents, it'll still be at least a month or so before she actually gets a check," says Hobson.
Risk management says under state law, the city is secondary to any other insurance, meaning the claimant must first go through their own insurer, and then the city may reimburse for any eligible damages their insurance does not cover.
A spokesperson added that it's currently awaiting some paperwork to process the woman's claim.