How to Locate the Owner of a Vehicle

The likelihood of coming upon a vehicle that is lost, abandoned or otherwise without its owner is not high. But if you do, the actions you can take are limited, particularly if there are no keys in the vehicle's ignition that would allow you to operate the car. Finding the vehicle's owner will largely depend on the circumstances under which you found it.

• 1

  Visit the police and file a report on the lost or abandoned vehicle. In addition to placing the fact that you've found the vehicle on official record -- and removing yourself from suspicion if the police later find that the car was stolen -- you involve the police in the search effort, which can lift much of the burden from your shoulders. If possible, provide the license plate number and the car's Vehicle Identification Number, also known as its VIN. This is a long string of digits stamped on a metal plate and is often found at the bottom of the windshield.

• 2

  Post an ad in the classified section of a periodical or on a website such as Craigslist. If someone has lost her car, she's probably looking for it. So a message indicating that you've found a car could be just what that owner is looking for.

• 3

  Open the car if it's unlocked and search the registration materials in the glovebox to see if you can find any identifying information, be it a name, address or phone number. Additionally, the driver may have left his insurance information, in which case you can call the insurance company and inform them that you've found a car they insure.

• 4

  Speak with the manager or security at a mall or retail store if someone's car is blocking your exit from your parking space. He'll use the store's speaker system to page the owner of a car using information you provide and call a tow truck in the event the owner doesn't show up.