Strangest Things Found In Traded, Repossessed, Abandoned And Donated Cars
Car dealers, repossession experts and charity car recipients the world over have stories about things left behind
Before you donate your car to charity (as you should to get a great tax break and help people in your community), go over it with a fine tooth comb. Or at least open the trunk and clean out the glove box and seat pockets.
Here are some of the strange things found in cars that were left behind. Don't let this happen to you.
- Medical equipment, including syringes, pill bottles, and walkers.
- Sports equipment, including hockey gear, golf clubs, baseball bats and mitts.
- Electronics like laptop computers, tablet, and expensive radio add-ons like subwoofers and CD decks.
- A severed alligator head: In this case, the ride wasn't turned in, it was discovered abandoned by police. The 23-year-old owner of the burgandy Oldsmobile was charged with unlawful possession of alligator parts. Luckily, the head wasn't fresh.
- $400,000 in diamonds: In this case in Florida, a New Jersey man had the goods stolen from his ride while he was inside an all-you-can-eat buffet chowing down. "It was unclear why the 47-year-old victim, who was not identified, would leave nearly a half million dollars worth of gems in a bag in the car instead of carrying the pricey loot into the restaurant with him," the New York Daily News wrote.
- $661,750 in cash: This car was abandoned on I-55 in Indiana, and probably not coincidentally, set on fire. Officers noticed the burning bills, some of which were inside a large duffel bag. They eventually tracked down the owner, who disavowed any knowledge of the money or how it got inside the fiery vehicle that was registered in his name. The state asked the court to let them keep the money as forfeiture.
And the granddaddy of them all ...
- A death machine:
That's right, Dr. Jack Kevorkian's van where he carried out assisted suicides was turned over to Hard Core Pawn in Detroit, where the Gold family struggled to sell it. Eventually they found a buyer in a paranormal investigator.
