Marjory Kaplan had parked her 2017 hybrid Prius a block from her Pacific Heights apartment. When she returned she hardly recognized the car. It was completely disassembled and someone had stolen the battery.
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"You know, you go looking for your car and you know what you car looks like. It didn't look like my car. It looked like a jalopy car. It looked different. It looked disheveled," Kaplan told ABC7 News.
"They took the seat out, cut all the wires and removed the battery which I understand weighs 180 pounds," she explained.
In 2015, ABC7 News reported on a string of car battery thefts from hybrid cars in San Francisco.
People would steal Prius batteries to sell them on the black market. The batteries can sell for $1,000 or even more.
Kaplan had not been aware of this kind of theft. She posted on the neighborhood app NextDoor to bring awareness to other Prius owners.
The break-in happened on Webster Street, across from 2300 California Street.
Kaplan filed a police report, but does not believe any of the security cameras on the street caught the break-in, so does not expect much to happen.
Kaplan said she will likely get rid of her car and start taking public transportation instead.
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