My camaro was stolen, somehow I got it back - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

ben3350 · 12-10-2016, 12:41 PM

So, on Monday night December 5th 2016, at around 4am, my aqua blue metallic 2010 2LT camaro was stolen right out of my driveway in a fairly nice suburban neighborhood north of Atlanta, GA. That night another car was stolen as well, and other cars broken into.

Not sure how they got the car started, as I have both sets of keys. But anyway, 2 of my neighbors have dark, somewhat blurry surveillance cameras in the front of their house that caught about 3-4 men coming up my driveway. They roll the car down my driveway (my driveway is a long slant), get it to the bottom, and then start the car. The car has a loud exhaust, so I'm assuming thats why they started it once it was on the street.

Security footage from the actual neighborhood was found as well. They have cameras set up at the entrance/exit of the neighborhood. There's video of a white pick up truck followed by my camaro and another stolen car flying through the entrance to get away. The cameras caught my tags and the other stolen car's tags, but the white pickup truck had its tags covered up by something. Was unable to get more information/detail from the video as it was very dark and raining that night.

Woke up the next morning (Tuesday, 9am) with no car in my driveway. Started hearing reports from other neighbors that their cars were broken into and that one other neighbor also had a missing car. I was fairly sure I would never see the car again, expecting it to be in a chop shop by then.

However, Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from the police in Forest Park, GA (which is in south atlanta, about an hour south from where I live and a city notorious for its chop shops) saying that they believe they found my car in an apartment complex parking lot. I couldn't believe it, that somehow they found the car, and that they found it that fast. The cops impounded the car, and wasn't able to pick it up until yesterday (Friday).

Yesterday I drove to the Forest Park police department to get a release form from the impound and also a copy of the police report. The report basically said that somebody had called in the car. I thought this was weird as I don't know anyone who lives in Forest Park and the chances of somebody knowing my car was stolen who was there and happening to stumble upon seemed really small to me. When the cop arrived to the scene to check out the car, the report says that a man who wished to remain anonymous flagged him down and told him that he saw 3 men drive into the parking lot, and go into apartment xxx (I won't reveal the address in a public forum). The anonymous man then left the scene.

So the cop proceeded to go to the apartment and talked to a woman who lived there. He asked if there was anybody else home, and she responded that only her and her husband live there, and that they don't "get involved in situations like this". The cop asked to search this house and she gave verbal consent. He didn't see anyone in the house, but there was a back door. not much else the cop could do at this point. The cops got finger prints from the car and I'll see if that leads to anything more concrete.

This also made me think that there was some kind of dispute going on in this apartment complex, for someone who lived there to call my car in. I don't think the cops would have found it at all, or at least not this quickly, had it not been for the anonymous guy to call it in. He wished to remain anonymous which makes me think he knows more than he let on. I don't know, this is all speculation. But the situation seemed weird. Why was he there, how did he notice the car as stolen, and why did he flag down the cop? Keep in mind this is in a very, very sketchy town. Not a good neighborhood.

Anyway, after I got the release form and the police report, I headed to the impound lot. To my huge satisfaction, my car was there in one piece. I thought I'd never see it again, and I really love this car. No crazy damage, but definitely some problems and things missing. First thing I noticed was that the tires were almost all flat. Monday night, the night it was stolen I had just got back from the gas station and filled it all the way. When I found the car, it was on empty. Considering the car was found only around 36 hours after the timecode of video of the car being stolen, they must have really taken it for a joyride. There were also some paint scratches on the car.

When I opened the car door, first think I noticed was that the driver seat was slashed open. Looks like the took a knife and just slashed the area where your back would sit. The major thing that was missing in the car were my subs, sub box, and all my amplifiers. I had a JL Audio 10w7 in a custom ported box, a really nice JL Audio slash amp for the sub, and a really nice JL Audio slash amp for the speakers. My JL Audio C5-650 speakers were still in the car, along with my aftermarket Alpine headunit. The cop who was called to the scene seemed to think that they got to the car before the thieves were done with it. They would have most likely come back to the car, finished taking out the electronics and then taken it to a chop shop.

I kind of wished they would have used the car for bait and wait for the thieves to get back in the car and then arrest them. But the cops in forest park, didn't understand the whole situation from my city so they just impounded it immediately. Oh well, too late now. And at least they took fingerprints.

Luckily insurance will cover the tires, seats, and scratches, as well as a rental car for 30 days while that gets fixed up. I'll also be taking it to a mechanic for a full inspection. I'm pretty much out on the aftermarket subs and amps though, which makes me sad. Almost 2 grand worth of equipment taken.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my story. This holiday season, many people are in desperate times and will try some crazy bold things. My neighborhood was pretty shocked about this level of robberies going on since we are in a fairly wealthy community. I was so surprised as this car's color is very distinct and its very, very loud. I love the car so much, so I'm so happy to get it back. Keep extra watch of your valuables this holiday season, some people are desperate out there.

Hope everyone has an problem free holiday this year!

JLSuperfly · 12-10-2016, 12:44 PM

Nice story. Thanks for sharing.

Welker2 · 12-10-2016, 12:49 PM

Wow ... glad you got your car back

solo3445 · 12-10-2016, 12:50 PM

Sorry to hear about your lost. Hope everything work out for you in the end.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Homeless Man · 12-10-2016, 01:55 PM

Very very loud is a straight piped V8 with longtube headers. Sounds like a bomb going off on cold starts. Is your car that loud?

redcoats1976 · 12-10-2016, 02:19 PM

you were lucky to get it back,and im glad insurance will fix damages.mine sleeps in a locked garage with the security system armed.you can guess where in the house/garage the doberman is sleeping at your own peril.

witenite · 12-10-2016, 02:20 PM

Glad you got your car back!

sspolo · 12-10-2016, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeless Man

Very very loud is a straight piped V8 with longtube headers. Sounds like a bomb going off on cold starts. Is your car that loud?

What does that have to do with anything?

bdd8401 · 12-10-2016, 02:38 PM

Glad u got your car back,maybe they thought it was a zl1 at first, makes me a little leary as i am also a little north of atlanta myself. But as we all know if they want to steal your car bad enough, they will get it. Good luck putting it back to normal, sucks that they got your amps tho.

Reaper85 · 12-10-2016, 03:03 PM

Double check your coverage. I know mine includes 2500 non claimed aftermarket equipment (anything above I'd need to insure). Congrats on getting it back in 1 peice. As most people don't get that.

ben3350 · 12-10-2016, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeless Man

Very very loud is a straight piped V8 with longtube headers. Sounds like a bomb going off on cold starts. Is your car that loud?

seriously? lol

I think it is very loud, and most people I know agree. Probably not as loud as what you described. Wasn't really the point of my thread though.

ben3350 · 12-10-2016, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reaper85

Double check your coverage. I know mine includes 2500 non claimed aftermarket equipment (anything above I'd need to insure). Congrats on getting it back in 1 peice. As most people don't get that.

hmm, I did not think of that. I will definitely look into it. thanks!

ChrisBlair · 12-10-2016, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homeless Man

Very very loud is a straight piped V8 with longtube headers. Sounds like a bomb going off on cold starts. Is your car that loud?

What possible advantage, vindication, or satisfaction do you gain from this pointless and petty challenge?

InFiD3ViL · 12-10-2016, 05:54 PM

Damn man, you lived a true nightmare.

Do not forget to tell the police and your insurance company about the $10,000 cash you had in a briefcase behind the driver's seat.

Seriously though, I am very happy that things ended relatively well for you. This type of ending is really rare.

You should let your car know how much you love her by buying her a present!

12-10-2016, 12:41 PM	#1
ben3350 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2LT ABM Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 485 View My Garage	My camaro was stolen, somehow I got it back So, on Monday night December 5th 2016, at around 4am, my aqua blue metallic 2010 2LT camaro was stolen right out of my driveway in a fairly nice suburban neighborhood north of Atlanta, GA. That night another car was stolen as well, and other cars broken into. Not sure how they got the car started, as I have both sets of keys. But anyway, 2 of my neighbors have dark, somewhat blurry surveillance cameras in the front of their house that caught about 3-4 men coming up my driveway. They roll the car down my driveway (my driveway is a long slant), get it to the bottom, and then start the car. The car has a loud exhaust, so I'm assuming thats why they started it once it was on the street. Security footage from the actual neighborhood was found as well. They have cameras set up at the entrance/exit of the neighborhood. There's video of a white pick up truck followed by my camaro and another stolen car flying through the entrance to get away. The cameras caught my tags and the other stolen car's tags, but the white pickup truck had its tags covered up by something. Was unable to get more information/detail from the video as it was very dark and raining that night. Woke up the next morning (Tuesday, 9am) with no car in my driveway. Started hearing reports from other neighbors that their cars were broken into and that one other neighbor also had a missing car. I was fairly sure I would never see the car again, expecting it to be in a chop shop by then. However, Wednesday afternoon, I got a call from the police in Forest Park, GA (which is in south atlanta, about an hour south from where I live and a city notorious for its chop shops) saying that they believe they found my car in an apartment complex parking lot. I couldn't believe it, that somehow they found the car, and that they found it that fast. The cops impounded the car, and wasn't able to pick it up until yesterday (Friday). Yesterday I drove to the Forest Park police department to get a release form from the impound and also a copy of the police report. The report basically said that somebody had called in the car. I thought this was weird as I don't know anyone who lives in Forest Park and the chances of somebody knowing my car was stolen who was there and happening to stumble upon seemed really small to me. When the cop arrived to the scene to check out the car, the report says that a man who wished to remain anonymous flagged him down and told him that he saw 3 men drive into the parking lot, and go into apartment xxx (I won't reveal the address in a public forum). The anonymous man then left the scene. So the cop proceeded to go to the apartment and talked to a woman who lived there. He asked if there was anybody else home, and she responded that only her and her husband live there, and that they don't "get involved in situations like this". The cop asked to search this house and she gave verbal consent. He didn't see anyone in the house, but there was a back door. not much else the cop could do at this point. The cops got finger prints from the car and I'll see if that leads to anything more concrete. This also made me think that there was some kind of dispute going on in this apartment complex, for someone who lived there to call my car in. I don't think the cops would have found it at all, or at least not this quickly, had it not been for the anonymous guy to call it in. He wished to remain anonymous which makes me think he knows more than he let on. I don't know, this is all speculation. But the situation seemed weird. Why was he there, how did he notice the car as stolen, and why did he flag down the cop? Keep in mind this is in a very, very sketchy town. Not a good neighborhood. Anyway, after I got the release form and the police report, I headed to the impound lot. To my huge satisfaction, my car was there in one piece. I thought I'd never see it again, and I really love this car. No crazy damage, but definitely some problems and things missing. First thing I noticed was that the tires were almost all flat. Monday night, the night it was stolen I had just got back from the gas station and filled it all the way. When I found the car, it was on empty. Considering the car was found only around 36 hours after the timecode of video of the car being stolen, they must have really taken it for a joyride. There were also some paint scratches on the car. When I opened the car door, first think I noticed was that the driver seat was slashed open. Looks like the took a knife and just slashed the area where your back would sit. The major thing that was missing in the car were my subs, sub box, and all my amplifiers. I had a JL Audio 10w7 in a custom ported box, a really nice JL Audio slash amp for the sub, and a really nice JL Audio slash amp for the speakers. My JL Audio C5-650 speakers were still in the car, along with my aftermarket Alpine headunit. The cop who was called to the scene seemed to think that they got to the car before the thieves were done with it. They would have most likely come back to the car, finished taking out the electronics and then taken it to a chop shop. I kind of wished they would have used the car for bait and wait for the thieves to get back in the car and then arrest them. But the cops in forest park, didn't understand the whole situation from my city so they just impounded it immediately. Oh well, too late now. And at least they took fingerprints. Luckily insurance will cover the tires, seats, and scratches, as well as a rental car for 30 days while that gets fixed up. I'll also be taking it to a mechanic for a full inspection. I'm pretty much out on the aftermarket subs and amps though, which makes me sad. Almost 2 grand worth of equipment taken. Anyway, just thought I'd share my story. This holiday season, many people are in desperate times and will try some crazy bold things. My neighborhood was pretty shocked about this level of robberies going on since we are in a fairly wealthy community. I was so surprised as this car's color is very distinct and its very, very loud. I love the car so much, so I'm so happy to get it back. Keep extra watch of your valuables this holiday season, some people are desperate out there. Hope everyone has an problem free holiday this year! __________________ Ark N-II catback exhaust, ZL1 bumper, JL C5 comps, JL 10w7, JL 500/1v2, JL 300/4v2

12-10-2016, 12:49 PM	#3
Welker2 Ret AF, cancer survivor Drives: 2013 Camaro 2SS/RS & 2006 Corvette Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mesquite, NV Posts: 2,741 View My Garage	Wow ... glad you got your car back __________________

12-10-2016, 12:50 PM	#4
solo3445 Drives: My SS2................ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: york Posts: 274 View My Garage	Sorry to hear about your lost. Hope everything work out for you in the end. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________

12-10-2016, 01:55 PM	#5
Homeless Man Homeless Life Chose Me Drives: LS3 (sold 4/21) Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Streets of Philly Posts: 3,650	Very very loud is a straight piped V8 with longtube headers. Sounds like a bomb going off on cold starts. Is your car that loud? __________________ Pity a man in familiar places, who yet feels like a stranger.

12-10-2016, 05:54 PM	#14
InFiD3ViL Drives: 2010 CGM 2SS/RS LS3 Swapped A6 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Spring Hill, FL Posts: 4,570	Damn man, you lived a true nightmare. Do not forget to tell the police and your insurance company about the $10,000 cash you had in a briefcase behind the driver's seat. Seriously though, I am very happy that things ended relatively well for you. This type of ending is really rare. You should let your car know how much you love her by buying her a present! __________________ 2010 CGM Camaro 2SS LS3 Swapped A6 - GPI LS3 SS1 .647/.638, (224/237, 112 +4, 7º overlap) on CamMotion 8620 core, BTR Platinum .660" Dual Spring kit w/titanium retainers, CHE bronze trunnion upgrade, stock heads milled @ .015, Melling HV 10296 oil pump, TSP 1-7/8" long tube headers (W/Catless Off-road Pipes), Corsa Xtreme 3" Catback, GPI Ported/Rod Mod Intake, Stage 2 Ported Throttle Body, Vararam OTR CAI, Mike Norris Gen 2 catch can + GM 1LE clean side separator, 160º thermostat - Megan Racing adjustable coilovers (lowered 1.75"), MRR M017 10/11" wheels-Tuned by Ryan @ GPI

12-10-2016, 12:44 PM	#2
JLSuperfly Drives: 2014 Red Hot LS3 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SF Bay Area, CA Posts: 4,267	Nice story. Thanks for sharing.

12-10-2016, 02:19 PM	#6
redcoats1976 Drives: LT W/2LT,blue metallic Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: central florida Posts: 4,916	you were lucky to get it back,and im glad insurance will fix damages.mine sleeps in a locked garage with the security system armed.you can guess where in the house/garage the doberman is sleeping at your own peril.

12-10-2016, 02:20 PM	#7
witenite Drives: 2010 2SS non RS Join Date: May 2014 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,253 View My Garage	Glad you got your car back!

12-10-2016, 02:38 PM	#9
bdd8401 Drives: 2015 2LT SW RS A6 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: ga Posts: 205	Glad u got your car back,maybe they thought it was a zl1 at first, makes me a little leary as i am also a little north of atlanta myself. But as we all know if they want to steal your car bad enough, they will get it. Good luck putting it back to normal, sucks that they got your amps tho.

12-10-2016, 03:03 PM	#10
Reaper85 Drives: 2013 2SS/RS Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Barrie, Ontario Posts: 598	Double check your coverage. I know mine includes 2500 non claimed aftermarket equipment (anything above I'd need to insure). Congrats on getting it back in 1 peice. As most people don't get that.