Hit and run while I was asleep — grainy doorbell footage, what do I do now?

Ugh, this happened to me about a year and a half ago — woke up, car destroyed, no note, nothing. First thing I did that actually helped was literally walking a four-block radius and knocking on doors asking if anyone had cameras I hadn't thought of. Found a guy with a proper security camera mounted on his garage that had WAY better footage than the doorbell stuff. Totally worth the awkward door-knocking. Don't wait on that because some systems only store a few days of footage.

Stop touching or trying to 'enhance' the footage yourself — you could mess up metadata the police might need. Let them or a professional handle it. Your job right now is to document everything: photograph every inch of the damage, get a repair estimate in writing ASAP, and keep a folder with every receipt and communication from here on out. Also check whether any nearby businesses — a gas station, a convenience store, even an ATM — might have caught the vehicle on camera facing a different direction.

Just a heads up: when you call your insurer to open the UM claim, be really careful about how much you volunteer upfront. Adjusters are trained to ask questions in a way that can minimize your payout. Stick to the facts, don't speculate about damage amounts, and don't let them rush you into a quick settlement before you know the full extent of repairs — or any injuries you might be feeling in the next few days. Adrenaline and stress can mask pain for 48–72 hours.

The police report is your foundation for everything — make sure you get a copy with the report number and keep it safe. A few things worth doing in parallel: see if your city or county has traffic cameras on nearby intersections (you can sometimes request footage through a public records request, though it has to be done quickly before it's overwritten). Also write down your own timeline while it's fresh — what time you parked, when you last saw the car undamaged, when you discovered the damage. That kind of documentation matters more than people realize if this ever turns into a dispute.

I know this sounds unrelated since you mentioned damage to your car and not yourself, but please pay attention to how your body feels over the next few days. If the impact was significant enough to dent your neighbor's cars too, and if you happened to be in or near your vehicle at any point, soft tissue stuff can show up late. Even if you weren't in the car, stress responses are real. Sleep, hydration, and keeping notes on any new aches matter. If anything feels off, see someone sooner rather than later — it's easier to connect symptoms to the incident while it's fresh.

Quick question — did the police actually take the original footage file, or just watch it on your neighbor's phone? There's a big difference. If they just viewed it, you should ask your neighbor to save and export the raw file immediately, before the system auto-deletes it. Also curious whether the other neighbors whose cars were hit have filed their own reports, because multiple reports for the same incident can sometimes prompt a more serious investigation than a single complaint.

I know it feels overwhelming but honestly — you already did the two most important things (filed a police report, found footage). A lot of people in hit-and-runs have nothing at all. Even a partial plate or a vehicle description can be enough for police to narrow things down, especially combined with reports from your other neighbors. Hang in there, the next few days of legwork usually make a real difference.