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- The California Highway Patrol returned a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle stolen in 1993.
- The CHP inspected the classic car and found an altered vehicle identification number.
- The CHP in Auburn found the original car owner and reunited them with the Chevelle.
California Highway Patrol officers in Placer County recently returned a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle to its original owner 33 years after the classic car was stolen in the Bay Area.
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The investigation began with a routine vehicle identification number verification at the CHP Auburn office. A person who had unknowingly purchased the Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport, which had an out-of-state registration, brought the car to CHP to have its vehicle identification number, or VIN, verified, the agency said in a news release Monday.
During the inspection of the classic muscle car, officers found irregularities in the VIN and determined it had been altered.
Investigators later determined the Chevelle had been reported stolen to San Mateo police in 1993. They located the car’s original owner and reunited the owner with the Chevelle.
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The CHP said the person who recently purchased the car cooperated fully with investigators and was not suspected of involvement in the 1993 theft or the VIN alteration.
Investigators had not identified any suspects in the theft or VIN alteration and had not determined when the VIN was altered, CHP said.
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