ORLANDO, Fla. — A group of thieves is continually selling and then stealing the same van, police said Wednesday. Investigators say they sell it on Craigslist and then come back and steal it.
In a matter of days, a 2002 Honda Odyssey was listed on Craigslist in Jacksonville by its owner, stolen, re-listed on Craigslist by someone else, sold for $4,000, stolen again and re-listed on Craigslist in Orlando.
Wednesday evening, the van's rightful owner is headed to Johnson's Wrecker Service in Orlando to pick up his van. Orlando police told WFTV his misfortune may solve a string of Central Florida auto thefts and fraud cases.
"We have five cases, but we know there are cases in Orange County, Volusia, Ormond, Jacksonville," Sergeant Barb Jones of the Orlando Police Department said.
Hamid Tabat explained to WFTV how he listed his Odyssey to earn some extra cash and, when a middle-aged man showed up for a test drive, everything seemed fine until the man took off in the van.
"He doesn't look suspect.You know, I didn't have any doubt," Tabat said.
Unknown to Tabat, the van was re-listed on Craiglist and purchased by a Volusia County couple. The seller told the couple to meet his son to close the deal. Less than 24 hours later, the van was stolen from their driveway.
When that couple saw their stolen vehicle re-listed on Craiglsit Orlando, they set up a meeting at Hidden Lake Apartments. They and police were waiting.
"We believe these two guys, if not more than two guys, are involved in a huge scam," Jones said.
Anthony Parkhurst, 20, was arrested and charged with auto theft and dealing in stolen property via the Internet. Investigators are still working on identifying additional suspects.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Orlando police said they also spotted the recovered van listed for sale on Craigslist in Tampa.
WFTV
