Neighbours on a secluded road in Langdale were puzzled about a strange van sighted in their parking area on Friday.

I’m one of those neighbours. I noticed the vehicle sitting where normally only residents park. The maroon Dodge Caravan had an N (new driver) sticker on the back. The car was dusty, but so is Tideview Road where it had presumably stayed overnight.

The tow truck driver hooks up the van. It took about an hour from the time police arrived until the stolen vehicle was towed away from Tideview Road.

A neighbour called me Friday morning asking if I knew who owned the van. He had lost a pair of binoculars near it and wondered if the vehicle’s owners might have picked them up. I told him I had seen a maroon car in the area but knew nothing about it.

The police did.

In the early afternoon a police officer showed up on Tideview along with a tow truck. The officer said the vehicle had been stolen. He spoke with me and my husband, but neither of us could provide clues to the theft.

However, my husband had seen the binoculars on the ground and had placed them on a boat, trailered nearby. The police officer took the binoculars for evidence.

Around 2 p.m. the tow truck, from All Coast Towing, pulled the van away.

The police officer asked me to wait three days before releasing this story. “We don’t want to tip off the thief.”

That was three days ago. I’ll post an update if I get any news about the crime.