UPDATE 2PM Thursday:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A 32-year-old Wendouree man has been charged with stealing the car and remanded in custody to appear in court next month.
A Ballarat police spokesperson said the car was located in the Ballarat area early Thursday afternoon. It was reportedly "in one piece" but the level of damage was yet to be assessed.
Police are "not looking for anybody else" in relation to the incident.
Jenny's son Scott said it was "extremely good news".
Jenny said the police response had been "awesome" and it would be a great relief if the car had "not been burnt out".
EARLIER:
A Ballarat grandmother has been left traumatised and trapped at home after a brazen theft at a local service station.
Pensioner Jenny Bradley was filling up at Metro Petroleum on Howitt Street, Wendouree on Wednesday morning when an opportunistic thief drove off in her Holden Rodeo ute.
CCTV footage shows the offender walk away from another car parked at a fuel pump before spotting Jenny's keys in her car and taking advantage.
In the footage, Jenny can be seen briefly chasing after and grabbing on to the back of her ute as the offender flees.
Jenny told The Courier she was in a state of total shock when it happened.
"He looked like he was going inside to pay, and then he double-took and looked in my car, saw the keys and just jumped straight in and took straight off," she said.
"It just happened so, so quick.
"Your heart just reaches up to your head and everything's thumping...
"You're sort of reaching out to try to grab it, but I think that's just your instinct to say 'Stop'.
"I think I was even thinking I was going to jump in [the back of the ute]."
She said she felt like "such a fool" for leaving her car unsecured, and hoped the incident would serve as a warning to others: "Never leave your keys in your car when you're filling up".
But she said she's "always felt so safe" in her 2.5 years living in Wendouree.
"I'm a trusting soul I suppose, and you just don't believe people are going to do that to you".
IN THE NEWS
Jenny's mobile phone, wallet and house keys were all in the car at the time of the theft.
The car is yet to be recovered, but the car seat Jenny had installed to drive her grandson to and from school was reportedly found dumped in bushland later on Wednesday.
Jenny had to cancel Thursday's school pick up, and is now worried about how she'll get around town for essentials like going to the bank.
She described herself as "struggling" financially and said she did not know how she would afford to replace the car.
Her house locks have already been replaced so she can feel more secure at home, but she said on Thursday she was still "shaken".
"It's very nerve-wracking," she said
"You just feel so violated, so helpless.
"And now I'm stuck."
Despite the shocking incident, Jenny remains positive about her community, which has rallied around her in support.
"The [service station staff] were so kind, they really looked after me," she said.
"The Ballarat community - they're just awesome."
The car is a four-door 2004 Holden Rodeo diesel ute.
It has a distinctive textured black plastic bullbar, and a large dent near the right hand taillight.
Victoria Police was contacted for further information.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.