Gold Coast cage fighter Jake Hanson confronts alleged car thief

When this Gold Coast cage fighter and Muay Thai trainer realised his car was stolen, he was determined to get it back and confront the alleged thief.

CAGE fighter and Muay Thai trainer Jake Hanson noticed his new BMW had been stolen when about to take his daughter to school one morning this month.

He got it back days later after confronting the crooks in a suburban street.

Like over 48 per cent of car theft victims on the Gold Coast, Mr Hanson’s BMW 320i e90 was taken from his Nerang home after thieves found his keys.

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Jake Hanson, a cage fighter, had his car stolen last week. Despite calling police he took it all into his own hands and got his car back. Picture Glenn Hampson

“I remember I couldn’t find (my keys) but didn’t think much of it,” he said.

After phoning police Mr Hanson asked friends and family to keep a lookout for the car.

It was spotted a few days later. Police also told him that it had been used in a robbery in Coolangatta.

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“I know people who have had cars stolen and no-one ever gets it back. I had only just bought this one as well and hadn’t insured it yet. They also took the baby and the booster seat which put me in a really bad situation.”

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“I was standing in the middle of the road and he was facing me. I’d never seen him in my life, but I will never forget the expression on his face. It was priceless. It was like he saw a ghost.” Picture Glenn Hampson

After waiting over a week, Mr Hanson went for a drive with friends to a street where the car had been seen.

“We weren’t waiting there for long and the car had driven past me and parked down the road,” he said.

“I just wanted to get the address so started walking that way. The guy must have seen me and had turned the car around.”

“I was standing in the middle of the road and he was facing me. I’d never seen him in my life, but I will never forget the expression on his face. It was priceless. It was like he saw a ghost.”

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Probably don’t want to mess with Mr Hanson. Picture Glenn Hampson

However, instead of handing the car back the driver tried to swerve into Mr Hanson before taking off.

The group attempted to follow him but later found the car abandoned near Pacific Fair with the words “(expletive) you (expletive)” scratched into a side panel.

“We let the police know. The guy was obviously panicked and didn't want to deal with the repercussions.”

Still faced with paying thousands to repair the damage and shoddy modifications made to the car, Mr Hanson said he would be extra careful with his keys in the future.

“Ensure your car has a GPS tracker and post about it on social media,” he urged other motorists. “I think that really made them less likely to hold on to it.

“I do think theft has gotten worse in the area and to have people come to your house more than once shows how aggressive they are.

“I am a single dad and it had made things very hard.”