Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was so busy doing a radio interview at a local car dealership last week, he never noticed what wasn’t there any longer.
Until he went to look for his vehicle. The one with the Steelers playbook inside.
The 2023 Genesis SUV was taken from Bowser Chevrolet in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, according to WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh.
After police were called, they reviewed surveillance footage until they spotted a man who arrived at about 1 p.m. and left at about 3:30 p.m. in Pickett’s SUV.
The suspect left his own car on the lot, making it easy for police to look up the registration and compare a photo of the suspect with the face seen on the video.
Christopher Carter, 60, was charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of an automobile.
Gary Legler, who lives near the suspect, told WTAE-TV the dealership sent someone to recover Pickett’s SUV — and something very important with it.
Legler quoted the representative as saying to the police, “‘Oh, the car was just sitting there, and he [the suspect] took it. And the owner has a book in the back, just personal information.’ And come to find out, it’s Kenny Pickett’s car. It’s the Steelers playbook on the backseat.”
WPXI reported that the playbook was recovered.
Ashely Antonucci, who lives next to Carter, told WPXI the incident was “very, very bizarre.”
“I didn’t think that episode was going to turn into what it did,” she said, noting that she saw her neighbor in a vehicle she did not recognize.
“Definitely wasn’t acting like himself,” she said.
“He’s a standup guy, wonderful neighbor. I bring him dinner.”
Pickett, who played college ball for the University of Pittsburgh, was the No. 20 overall pick in the NFL draft, according to Fox News.
As a rookie, he passed for 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns, appearing in 13 games.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.