A Wal-Mart automotive mechanic got a surprise Friday night when he went to go home and found his vehicle stolen from the parking lot.

Sgt. Roger Cender with the Andalusia Police Department said thanks to video surveillance, police were able to watch the whole incident unfold.

“Right on video, at about 8:30 p.m., you could see a while male come over from the Murphy gas station, go to the vehicle and steal it,” Cender said. “We immediately put out a ‘BOLO’ or be on the look out for the late 1990s model Ford Expedition, and luckily for the vehicle owner, it was spotted just before midnight – near Birmingham.”

Cender said deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office recognized the vehicle, but “as soon as deputies spotted it, the people inside ditched the vehicle on the side of the road and fled the area.”

Cender said the vehicle owner admitted to leaving the key in the locked vehicle’s ignition.

“Once again, we remind people, don’t leave your keys in the ignition,” he said. “This is exactly what can happen.”

No arrests have been made in the vehicle theft, Cender said.