Thieves Post Stolen Rims on Craigslist: Cops

Employees at Mateen Autos say they discovered the same rims that had been stolen from them when they tried to find replacements on Craigslist.

Employees at Mateen Autos in Feltonville say they made a surprise discovery while searching for new wheels on Craigslist on Monday; their own rims that had been stolen.

They first discovered the theft Monday morning. Saadiq Jabbar, an employee at the local car lot, says the thieves stole wheels from an Acura and a Jaguar. They quickly notified police who say there have been similar recent thefts in the area.

“We’ve been having some newer model vehicles that have these expensive rims on them,” said Philadelphia Police Captain Frank Vanore. “The rims have been taken, especially in the overnight hours.”

Needing a way to replace the nearly $1300 wheels, employees at Mateen decided to browse Craigslist. It was there where they found a deal that was a bit too good to be true. The employees say the rims that were being sold were the same rims on the wheels that had been stolen from them.

“They had them on Craigslist for $600 for the Jag and $300 for the Acura,” said Jabbar.

The employees say the posted items listed the same phone number. They also say a photo showed a distinctive scuff that one of the stolen rims had. It was then that Jabbar and his coworkers took action and put together their own sting operation.

“I called, I said ‘I’m a Temple student and I’m looking for some tires for my Jaguar,’” said Mateen Autos employee Meme Miles. “I told them I could meet them around 1 o’clock.”

Miles says the person on the other end gave her an address that was right around the corner from the car lot. Once they received the location, they called police.

“They did the smart thing and called us,” said Captain Vanore. “I had officers go along with them.”

Police ultimately arrested two 17-year-old boys. Jabbar says at first he wasn’t sure he wanted to press charges against them until he heard there were other similar thefts in the area.

“The main thing was getting the things back that they took from us,” said Jabbar.

While both teens are in custody, police say only one has been charged for the actual thefts. The stolen wheels were recovered and placed back on the cars.

Police have not confirmed whether the teens are connected to similar thefts in the area. They continue to investigate. 
 

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