A Virginia vehicle reported stolen in 2022 and since sold twice has been recovered in the city.
A camera system notified Bowling Green police around 4 p.m. Saturday of a stolen white Dodge Charger with Virginia license plate.
The car was spotted eastbound on East Wooster Street at Interstate 75. Officers began the search at the east end of the city and found the vehicle in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Juniper Court, according to a Bowling Green Police Division report. Three men standing around the vehicle were taken into custody as was a fourth man who came out of an apartment.
The three men were told they were being detained because their vehicle was reported stolen.
The VIN number on the dashboard matched that of a stolen vehicle alert from Laurel, Maryland. Laurel police confirmed the vehicle was reported stolen March 28. There was mail in the trunk of the vehicle with the owner’s name, according to the report.
The driver, who was from Fort Wayne, Indiana, told police he had just purchased the car that day after finding it for sale on social media. He said the group had driven to a gas station in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, to meet the seller. He paid $22,500 in cash for the vehicle. He said he did not know the seller’s name.
He had a Virginia motor vehicle bill of sale and Virginia DMV certificate of title for the car. The man who sold the car said he had purchased it and was trying to “flip it.” The buyer told police he ran an online VIN on the Charger and the report came back clean. He showed officers the report and social media conversations.
The police report indicated it appeared the man had legitimately bought the car, not knowing it was reported as stolen.
During a search of the car, an officer noticed there was no VIN on the inside door panel. A VIN was located on the shock tower in the engine compartment, and it was different from the VIN on the dashboard. A check of the second VIN showed the vehicle, a 2020 white Dodge Charger, as reported stolen on Aug. 29, in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The owner in Laurel was contacted and he told police he had purchased the car from a private seller in October 2022. Officers told him it was possible the car had been stolen when he purchased it.
The Fort Wayne man was referred to the Chambersburg police department to file a theft report.
