St. Louis thieves stealing cars left idling on cold days

ST. ANN, Mo. -- It seems harmless enough: Go outside and start the car on a cold winter morning, then go back inside to wait for the vehicle to warm up.

After all, who wants to get into a cold car when temperatures are near-zero, as they've been the St. Louis area for much of the past couple of weeks?

But some brazen thieves are taking advantage.

Police in north St. Louis County say thieves are targeting cars that are sitting with their engines running as owners wait for them to warm up. In St. Ann, nine cars were stolen from driveways in just three weeks, including three cars in one day.

Police say the cold temperatures help the thieves identify the cars by making the exhaust fumes visible.