PORTLAND, Ore. (NewsNation) — A group of veterans in Portland are taking matters into their own hands to reunite theft victims with their vehicles.

It started when Nick Haas recovered 50 stolen cars in 2022 alone. Since then, he and a team of 60 volunteers from Guardians Theft Recovery have returned more than 1,000 vehicles to their rightful owners.

“We’ve been able to develop pretty good neighborhood maps of areas where vehicles are frequently found — either abandoned or in use or occupied,” said Haas. “And for the most part, a lot of it kind of stems from social media.”

As car thefts in the U.S. continue to rise to historic levels, Haas believes there may be an underlying issue.

“We’re really seeing this boil down to a few major problems, and one of the biggest ones, I would say, would be our current fentanyl epidemic,” he said.

The organization works closely with police but Haas says that hasn’t prevented him from getting into his share of danger while trying to recover the stolen vehicles. One person went so far as to confront Haas at the business he owns.

“Last November, an individual came by at three in the morning with a hunting rifle and thought he was going to be successful in taking me out. Luckily, I didn’t get injured. And luckily, we caught up with him shortly after that incident and made sure that that didn’t happen again,” he said.

As for how the police feel about Guardians Theft Recovery? Haas told NewsNation they’re welcoming the help.

“For the most part, the police in Portland are very grateful for our extra assistance and help,” said Haas. “Sometimes we get phone calls from them when there are situations where they need a hand.”