NIU’s Transportation Department almost lost a car Thursday, but actually it was misplaced.

“The car was thought to be stolen, but it was not,” said University Police Sgt. Richard Sheridan.

The two-door black 1988 Dodge Omni is permanently assigned to Business and Operations Safety Officer Robert Vest, but was parked in front of the transportation offices near the physical plant because it was due for repair, Sheridan said.

A new NIU staff member who had been authorized to pick up a car to drive to a seminar came to the transportation offices and asked if he could take the car parked out front, Sheridan said.

“He had all the paperwork he needed to take a car, but he didn’t know he had to fill it out and drop it off when he took the car,” he said.

The student employee who gave him the keys was new to the job, Sheridan said. “He asked a staff member if he could take the car, and the staff member was busy. He thought all the paperwork had been filled out, so he told the student he could give him the car,” Sheridan said.

The car was listed in the UP’s computer system as stolen, Sheridan said, but the staff member returned it Friday. “It was a misunderstanding. It won’t happen again,” he said.