A Sydney grandfather has been left devastated after his $120,000 collector’s edition car was brazenly stolen right in front of him by a Facebook Marketplace scammer.
Stephen Buttigieg, from Bonnyrigg Heights in Sydney’s west, was showing his pristine Holden GTS to a man who claimed to be an interested buyer when the theft occurred in broad daylight.
The man, who introduced himself as “Brendon”, arrived on foot and appeared well-dressed and polite as he inspected the rare vehicle. But the meeting quickly turned into a trap.
“He said, ‘I think your boot light’s coming on’, and I said, ‘Are you sure?’” Buttigieg told 9 NEWS. “And he said, ‘But it’s only when I put it in gear and reverse’, and the car was going forward and back a bit. So I said, ‘Alright, I’ll check it.’”
Security footage shows Buttigieg walking to the rear of the car to close the boot, only for “Brendon” to suddenly accelerate away, leaving the stunned grandfather on the street.
“I just froze, and I couldn’t believe that he’d done that,” Buttigieg said. “He was such a nice person – he said he worked in a car yard, that he had money.”
The Holden, a collector’s edition that had been carefully stored in a garage and never driven, was uninsured. Buttigieg said he had hoped to sell it to help his sons buy their first homes.
“People work hard, you try to help your kids, and this is what happens,” he said.
The theft has been reported to police, with detectives now searching for both the suspect and the high-performance vehicle.
Images: 9 NEWS
