‘Extremely Unscientific Process:’ Texas Woman’s White Toyota 4Runner Gets Stolen. Then She Goes Looking for It

"Just about to cross the border."

Photo by: alyssas_outfits_

By: Nina Hernandez

Jul 31, 2025 at 5:00am ET

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A Texas woman is chronicling the search for her stolen white Toyota 4Runner. And she’s asking anyone with experience in recovering stolen vehicles for help.

TikTok user Alyssa (@alyssas_outfits_) was the victim of a car theft just over a week ago. She last saw her white Toyota 4Runner at the Hotel Indigo in Austin on the morning of July 22.

After turning to Reddit for suggestions on where and how to recover stolen vehicles, she and two friends went on a day-long journey to track down her 4Runner.

“We formed a search committee to drive around all the spots that Reddit suggested we look,” she says in a post documenting their search. “We were downtown, on the eastside, along Airport [Boulevard].”

“And, let me tell you, there are a lot of white 4Runners in Austin.”

As one of her friends drove, Alyssa clicked her keyfob at every white 4Runner they passed, but none of them were hers.

“An extremely unscientific process,” she admits. “If anyone has any suggestions of where to look for a stolen car, my DMs are open.”

‘Easy to Leave Cars There’

In the comments section of the video, viewers did not hesitate to offer advice from personal experience with this type of situation.

“Apartment complexes, because it’s easy to leave cars there,” suggested one person.

“It’s probably across the border at this point,” said a second person. “This exact same thing happened to my ex in 2013. We drove around Austin for two days, going to all the locations his iPad pinged off (it was in the truck). We ended up finding the truck in South Texas—just about to cross the border.”

“Vehicles nowadays have telematics,” said someone else, referring to GPS technology. “Have the dealer and finance company activate yours.”

Another person said, “You need to check junkyards. They might strip your car and dump it at junkyards.”

What Should You Do If Your Car Is Stolen?

A Kiplinger article echoes some of the advice in the comments, including putting an AirTag in your vehicle and purchasing other anti-theft measures, such as steering wheel and pedal locks. The author also recommends making sure any big-ticket personal items you leave in your vehicle are covered under your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy.

If your car is stolen, obviously, you want to call the police, your local DMV, your insurance company, and your lender to let them all know about the theft. If your wallet was in the car, you’re in for another series of phone calls to cancel everything.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles also notes that reporting the theft immediately is key because it protects you from liability if the vehicle is involved in an accident that harms other people after being stolen.

What do you think?

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A lot of people in the comments voiced frustration with the police’s response to vehicle thefts. The Kiplinger article says that it’s common for police to do the bare minimum with regard to recovering stolen vehicles. However, you have a better chance of success if you cooperate with officers and check back in regularly for updates.

Motor1 reached out to Alyssa via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll be sure to update this if she responds.