You can hear Alex Hansen's truck coming. Or going, which was the case when thieves drove it away from his Longview, Washington, home.

The 27-year-old Hansen says he heard a distinctive muffler noise at 5 a.m. and ran outside in shorts to see that his 1996 Toyota T-100 was gone. He then grabbed his girlfriend's car keys and followed the distinctive noise.

Hansen soon caught up to his truck, which was traveling with another vehicle. After following the caravan for nearly 10 minutes, Hansen says he watched the thief stop the truck, jump out and run off.

Hansen drove his truck home and surprised a police officer who had just finished taking a report from a neighbor whose car had been broken into.

Hansen says the thieves took his tools, camera and wallet. So far, they have not been apprehended.

Source: The Daily News, http:// www.tdn.com

")