Queensland woman watches her stolen vehicle on thieves’ social media

Townsville local, Sera Shin has been left feeling helpless after watching online videos of her stolen vehicle in the hands of young alleged thieves.

According to a Courier Mail report, the suspected masked offenders live-streamed their 220km/h joyride on the social media platform Instagram.

The alleged thieves posted videos of themselves online as they recklessly drove the stolen BMW 5 Series, posing with the sedan before eventually ditching the luxury car and setting it on fire.

“I was just watching them, waiting for them to abandon the car,” Ms Shin told the Courier Mail.

“I think they are competitively playing to see who can steal the better, nicer car.

“They just show off to people what they do, they’re driving the car dangerously, it’s just ridiculous,” she added.

Ms Shin told the newspaper the alleged offenders broke into her home at approximately 7:00am and came in contact with one of her family members.

The Queensland mother said the suspected thieves "gestured" for the unnamed family member to be quiet before they grabbed the keys to her BMW and left the house without harming anyone.

Ms Shin told the Courier Mail this was not the first time her cars had been stolen in the area, claiming three family vehicles were stolen in three years.

The Townsville mother said her family has lost more than $200,000 worth of vehicles stolen by thieves from 2021 to 2023 – which included a Ford Ranger belonging to her husband, a Ford Mustang, and now the BMW 5 Series sedan.

“I don’t feel safe, not at all. When they come back they’ll be starting again,” Ms Shin said.

This news comes as car thefts perpetrated by minors have surged in Victoria – with Victoria Police revealing car thefts caused by youths aged between 14 and 17 have risen by more than 52.7 per cent in 2023, according to previous Drive reports.