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Car Theft in Belgrade

I watched a man trying to steal a car today in Belgrade.  I was walking with Chaya down a side street and came up upon a parked car with its driver side door open. In the seat was a young man with a shaved bald head cutting open the wire box at the base of [...]

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I watched a man trying to steal a car today in Belgrade. 

I was walking with Chaya down a side street and came up upon a parked car with its driver side door open. In the seat was a young man with a shaved bald head cutting open the wire box at the base of a car’s steering column with a utility knife. We walked by him slowly, there were not any other people on the street. I stared at the man cut his way through the rubbery plastic of the lower dashboard and dig into the wires beneath. He then caught sight of me and slowly sat up in the seat while depositing the utility knife and the freshly removed piece of the steering column over to the passenger’s side of the car.

The shaven pate fellow sat frozen stiff as we walked within a couple feet of him on the narrow sidewalk. His eyes were nervously fixed straight ahead as we passed.

“What is that fellow doing?” I asked myself. It then quickly became apparent that he was trying to steal the car in privacy.

I shrugged my shoulders. I am not one to stand in the way of a craftsman plying his trade.

I also know that it is foolish for a traveler to get involved in such a situation. Aloofness and an un-obligeable character are perhaps the the best qualities a person can have if they wish to safely travel the world.

Only problems can greet the traveler who willingly steps in front of a run away train.

Filed under: Serbia

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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VBJ is currently in: New York City

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