Overview
- Auburn-area officers discovered a classic Chevrolet Chevelle during a vehicle-identification-number inspection and flagged the VIN for further review.
- The California Highway Patrol worked with the San Mateo Police Department to confirm the car had been stolen from San Mateo County in 1993 and arranged its return to the unidentified owner.
- The owner posed for a photo shared by CHP on Facebook when the car was reunited with him, and officials said the VIN provided the crucial clue that solved the long-running case.
- Authorities have not disclosed what prompted the original VIN inspection and they have not identified any suspects or explained how the car traveled more than 158 miles from where it was taken.
- The recovery underscores how VIN checks and interagency record-sharing can resolve decades-old vehicle thefts and may lead to more cold-case recoveries when old records match vehicles that resurface.