A Calgary father says he learned a terrifying lesson after a thief attempted to make off with his truck with two young girls inside in Woodbine on Friday morning.

At around 8:20 a.m., Mike Ashworth secured his two-year-old and five-year-old daughters inside his pickup truck in the driveway of the home before he stepped back into the house to get the diaper bag.

While Ashworth was inside the residence, an SUV stopped along the street a few houses away. A surveillance camera recording from a neighbour’s home showed the passenger of the SUV exit the vehicle, approach Ashworth’s truck, open the door and hop in. After a few moments, the suspect left the truck and ran back to the SUV.

Ashworth returned to his truck and daughters a short time later unaware of the events that had just unfolded. He soon noticed his five-year-old daughter was visibly upset.

“She said a man came in the vehicle,” Ashworth told CTV. “I said ‘What man?’. She said 'The man in the white SUV'. She said ‘Daddy, he came in the vehicle and said he was going to take us’.”

“I was so upset with myself. You don’t think about it. You think you’re only going to be a minute but it takes less than that for something to happen.”

The surveillance footage has been handed over to the Calgary Police Service and an investigation is underway.

According to the Calgary Police Service, opportunistic thieves prey on idling vehicles during cold conditions. An average of between seven and 10 vehicles are stolen in Calgary each day and nearly 25 per cent of the thefts involve a vehicle where the keys were in the ignition.

Anyone with information about the truck theft attempt is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234.

With files from CTV's Kathy Le