Dan Cardinal called police after neighbours were unable to identify the strange car he found in his driveway Tuesday. (CBC)

Ontario Provincial Police continued to search Wednesday for a police-issue handgun, ammunition, handcuffs, uniform and badge missing from a stolen police car.

"This is huge," Insp. David Springer said. "Weapons out on the street are bad enough, but when it's one of our own pieces of equipment … out there, we look to recover it as quickly as possible."

The equipment had been stored in a box in the trunk of an unmarked OPP cruiser that was stolen from an off-duty officer’s home in Long Sault, Ont., early Tuesday and recovered later that morning in Cornwall.

Police recovered the cruiser after Dan Cardinal, a Cornwall resident, noticed a strange vehicle in his driveway Tuesday about 11 a.m. ET.

On Wednesday, he pointed out the dark tire tracks running through the grass behind his truck. Someone had driven the silver 2005 Chrysler Sebring through the nearby laneway, then ditched it in his yard. Cardinal recalled how he tried the driver's side door and found it locked.

He asked his neighbours whether the vehicle was theirs, and when they said it wasn’t he contacted police, who confirmed the car was the missing cruiser.

"It's freaking me out," Cardinal said. "I'm glad I didn't come outside and see this guy. I don't know what he would have done."

Residents uneasy

Police picked up the car Tuesday afternoon, but the gun and the police gear weren't in the trunk.

As the search for the gear continued Wednesday, Cornwall residents said the incident has made them uneasy.

"It's intimidating and frightening," Monique McElheran said.

Paul Leger is worried the thief may now be able to impersonate a police officer. And Andree-Anne Richer said the public has no idea what kind of person might now have the equipment.

"It's worrisome because you don't know if it's a person who wants to impersonate an OPP officer," Richer said. "Or if it's somebody who just did it for a good time."

OPP advise people who aren't sure they are dealing with a real police officer to ask to see the officer's badge. If they still aren't sure, they should request another officer come to the scene.

Police have asked that anyone with information about the theft contact the nearest police agency or the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.