Folk singer Sander Kwarten from Breda and his family are still in shock after a thief took off with his car while his children were in the backseat. After a media storm, a chaotic night and a long car journey, the family can carefully catch their breath on holiday. “The children seem less concerned with it, but it is still in their heads.”
Saturday morning at five o’clock Sander and his family are ready to leave. The bags are packed, the children are already in the back seat with their iPad at the ready and the car is running warm.
Sander and his wife Sylvana walk into the house to lock the door. But that’s when things go wrong: an unknown man gets into the car and drives away, with their 4-year-old daughter and 6- and 10-year-old sons still in the backseat.
Sander doesn’t hesitate for a moment and runs after the car, but he soon realizes that he is not going to win. “The world is falling away beneath your feet.”
Night full of chaos
On Sunday morning, Sander and Sylvana finally arrive at their holiday address in Austria. It’s been a hectic night for the folk singer. He gets his car back in Belgium, tries to go on holiday after all and receives a lot of media attention in the meantime national and International press after reporting from Omroep Brabant. “It was also very popular in Belgium.”
“It was very tough. We arrived around seven in the morning, slept for a while, but were constantly busy,” says Sander from a restaurant in Austria. “It still feels surreal. It’s still fresh, so we’re still in shock.”
Surveillance footage shows the thief getting into the car and taking off:
The singer has just finished a performance. “We have received a bizarre amount of responses, even too many to answer them all. Wolter Kroes just came to encourage me during the performance.”
Trying to keep going
Now that the performance is over, the family vacation can finally begin. “The weather is nice and clear here, the children went sledding this afternoon and we are now eating together,” he says. Despite everything, they try to make the best of it. “You have to keep your back straight. We talk about it, but we are not going to give up.”
Sander eventually gives chase with another car. The thief who drove away in his car realizes after some time that there are children in the backseat and throws them out of the car along the road. While Sylvana takes care of the children, Sander tries to chase the thief, but without success.
“I’d rather be here than anywhere else now,” he says. “The children can play in the snow and seem less concerned with it, but it is still in their heads. You notice that in their behavior and in the nightmares.”
Arrested
Ultimately, the thief is driven off the road in Belgium by the police with Sander’s BMW. A 36-year-old man of no fixed abode has been arrested. The police know that he often commits these types of crimes.
“We’re going to catch up on some sleep in a moment,” says a tired Sander. “It ended with a fizzle, but we did take a big blow. Now we have some quality time so we can start the new year with a fresh start.”