Pocono News Section

I-TEAM: CLASSIC CAR CAPER SOLVED

I-TEAM: CLASSIC CAR CAPER SOLVED - Friday, September 19, 2008 at 4:33PM EST

Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Friday, Sep 19, 2008 @ 04:33pm EST
PLAINS, LUZERNE COUNTY -- We have an update to an I-Team investigation we first told you about last night. The '66 Ford Thunderbird that vanished from a repair shop has turned up --just hours after our story aired. I-Team reporter Jeff Chirico has been trying to track it down, he's here with the developments.

After the story aired, the owner of the repair shop that was supposed to fix the car returned my call. He wanted to tell his side of the story today But he has not come forward --although the missing car has.

The missing '66 Thunderbird is back where it belongs --in Ed Troy's parking lot in Plains. Ed Troy said “I got a call from the office saying my car's out front on a flat bed. Stop by it was here. They delivered it. That was it."

To Ed's shock it rolled in around ten Friday morning. That's 16 hours after the I-Team first told you about the classic car caper. It's almost three months since he dropped it off at Lucky 13 Auto Services near Wilkes-Barre. "There are many unanswered phone calls. I was worried about my car. I didn't know where it was."

He says the shop's always closed and the car wasn't in the garage. We couldn't find Lucky 13 owner Ken Weir either. So where was the car? "The guy with the tow truck said it was at a body garage in Kingston. Not a Lucky 13 facility."

By looking it over, Ed's mechanic friend doesn't think anything has been fixed. But at this point, Ed's just glad he's got his wheels back. "Thank you for helping me out. Lighting a fire under him and releasing my car."

Now Ed plans to take the T-bird somewhere else --and hope for better luck.

The owner told me over the phone last night that it was just a misunderstanding --and it was stored at the other auto body shop because his place doesn't have enough room.