A couple returns from vacation to find people living in their car

Kayla Duplantis-Whitewick and her partner returned home from a 12-day European vacation this week with shocking news.

“When we looked at the car, it was full of stuff, there was trash everywhere,” Duplantis-Whitewick said. “It was clear that it had basically become a shelter.”

His car and carport were full of someone else's belongings, trash was strewn about, and the car was badly damaged. But no one was found.

“There were pipes and burnt sheet metal and there was residue on the back seat, I honestly don't know what it was,” he explained. “Everything is broken, shredded and useless.”

The next morning, Duplantis-Whitewick went to check again with her partner and they heard rustling coming from the area.

“We found a couple in the car,” he said, adding that they called Toronto police.

Officers arrived just in time to arrest the man, but the woman fled with her purse, Duplantis-Whitewick said.

“Thankfully no one was hurt, no one had a weapon or anything, but it's always a concern because you never know,” he said. “It feels broken and I know it's not personal, but it ends up feeling personal.”

The man was wanted on a warrant and charged with theft under $5,000, obstructing a peace officer, being a person with intent to evade arrest and admitting tools under a false name, Toronto police said.

Duplantis-Whitewick told CTV News Toronto that their 2001 Volkswagen convertible was their dream car, which they bought two years ago. The couple fixed it up last year and this was the first summer they could actually drive it. He said he drove it four or five times.

“We got this car port about a year ago and we expected it to help shelter our precious baby, instead (it) did the opposite,” she said.

The carport had a tent, but the couple removed it immediately after the incident, hoping to deter other uninvited guests.

“The biggest mistake in this situation is that it's not our fault, but the fact that the shelter was accessible ultimately caused the break-in and the damage and everything,” Duplantis-Whitewick said.

Kayla Duplantis-Whitewick said she was checking her Volkswagen when she noticed two people standing after a European vacation.

They have cleaned the car as best they can, but there are still things, stains and things that they cannot identify.

“Unfortunately, there are no cleaning services in these cases, so you're left to clean it up yourself,” he said.

Duplantis-Whitewick said the car was no longer drivable because the seats were stuck in the wrong position and were broken.

“It's not like my car anymore, I don't want anything to do with it,” he said.

His worry now is that one or both of those people might come back.

He told CTV News Toronto that in the last few weeks and months leading up to the trip, he had been finding things on his back from time to time.

“I don't think it's their first time here, but it's their first time back home,” Duplantis-Whitewick said.

Going forward, he said, he will have additional security and will no longer use the car port.

“Just because it's yours doesn't mean no one else is using it,” he said.