It’s said pride comes before a fall — or perhaps it should be minds go after the crack?

The latter might explain the thought process, or lack thereof, that led two people to snap smug selfies in front of a hot BMW, before leaving a camera and crack pipe behind in the stolen SUV.

At least that how it appeared to Justin Exner, two days after his father’s BMW X5 was stolen from their southwest home.

The immaculate silver SUV with personalized plates vanished in the pre-dawn on Aug. 12, only to reappear at a Calgary impound lot two days later, full of cigarette butts, burns, and a collection of presumably pilfered items, ranging from an iPod to speaker sets and a bicycle.

Among the flotsam and jetsam of an apparent petty crime spree sat a camera and a crack pipe.

The pipe was empty — but not the camera.

There on the memory card, Exner and his dad Darren found a disturbing portfolio of images, featuring a gaunt young couple with a clear admiration for gangsta fashion — as well as each other.

Along with the usual sort of poses, Exner found naked shots of the woman, and pictures of the pair making love.

“Trust me, you don’t want to see those pictures,” said Exner, his laugh laced with disgust.

Of course, pictures of a couple in the throes of passion don’t make for a compelling criminal case — but photos of the same skinny pair posing with what appears to be the stolen BMW sure lead to a pointed questions about who they are and what their connection to the crime may be.

“They left a whole bunch of stuff behind, including the camera,” said Exner.

“I guess when they were done with (the SUV), they were just too stupid to take everything with them.”

The Exners are still waiting for police to examine the evidence left behind in the SUV, which they discovered after being called to the impound lot to retrieve the Bimmer.

The vehicle suffered a broken roof rack, cigarette burns and a lingering stench, but was in good shape otherwise.

As well as finding the owner of the bike and other goods, police will obviously want to catch the car thieves — and a clear photo of a couple of persons of interest is a high-definition gift to investigators, all thanks to the forgotten camera.

Of course, right now it’s impossible to say with certainty the couple on the camera stole the vehicle — just that they were photographed with a BMW matching the stolen X5 in the span of time it was missing, according to the camera’s time stamp.

“The photographs are dated the day after the BMW was stolen,” said Exner.

As well as homemade porn and selfies with the silver SUV, there’s a video showing the couple inside a makeshift tarp shelter, located in a wooded area.

Exner says his home is close to Fish Creek Park, and it would be an easy walk if the couple were prowling nearby neighbourhoods.

For that reason, he’s taken to social media to publicize the people in the photos, posting two of the G-Rated shots to his Facebook in hopes of warning neighbours.

And then there’s a photo taken around the same time of a young woman in a fast food uniform, at a restaurant Exner recognized.

He took the camera to the burger joint and asked the manager who she is. The manager knows the woman, but says she quit days before.

Still, the clues are adding up, all thanks to a camera left behind by the dim-witted thieves who stole the BMW.

With the photos already being shared hundreds of times on Facebook, and with the story now appearing in the Sun, it’s certain someone will soon put a name to the hollow faces.

“I’m hoping someone recognizes them, and we can catch them,” said Exner.