This was September 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, and the reality of the situation quickly set in. Someone had gotten his keys and taken his 2016 Chevrolet Cruze. Reeves is 27 and works in social media marketing. Like most of us, he needs his car. And, like most of us, there were memories packed into that car. There was the 2019 road trip from Vancouver, B.C., to Montreal and then back through the northern U.S., hitting six provinces and 14 states. There were the nights in Vancouver when he was playing in a band and packed his drum kit into his car to get to and from gigs. But immediately, in that moment, there was the fact that he was supposed to have people over.

Step one: Cancel plans. “I called and said, ‘I think I have something to deal with,’” he says.  

Step two: Call the police.

“But you don’t really have any information to give them,” Reeves says. Just the basic vehicle information and a best guess about what might have happened, and when. After that, there’s nothing left to do but sit around and assume the worst — that he’d never see his car again.

“But after some time, I realized I should check the myChevrolet app,* just to see,” Reeves says.

He realized he could locate his vehicle* with the app. It was about 20 streets away. He called the police back, and soon he was guiding them to his vehicle, which was on the move, eventually stopping not far from Reeves’ apartment. The thief was gone when police arrived, but the car was there — dirty and smelling of cigarette smoke, but it was there.