Ex-North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer had car stolen while on air

He didn’t expect this radio call-in. 

North Dakota’s former governor Ed Schafer was live on air Friday morning when he learned his car had been stolen from a Fargo radio station’s parking lot.

Police phoned KFGO while Schafer, 77, was guest hosting the “News and Views” program to see if he was the owner of a 2020 Yukon, Schafer told the outlet.

A thief had swiped the car from the station’s parking lot to drive himself to a probation office and turn himself in, the ex-gov learned from the station’s receptionist.

“I was on-air and the receptionist came in and said, ‘The police are on the line. Do you own a 2020 Yukon?’” he recalled. “I said, ‘yes,’ and she said, ‘It was stolen and they have it.’”

The vehicle has a push-button start feature, which requires a key fob — but Schafer admitted he had a habit of leaving a spare fob in the vehicle.

Schafer, the US agriculture secretary under former President George W. Bush, said that he had been warned about this reckless practice. 

“My wife, for 31 years, has said, ‘Why don’t you lock your car?’” Schafer said.