Police Say Hellcat Theft Claims Were Insurance Fraud, But Owner Has Another Story

There’s no doubt Dodge Hellcats are hot property right now. With values soaring as Dodge moves from the Hemi V8s to the Hurricane inline-sixes, it’s not just collectors who are looking to cash in. Quite a few Hellcats fall victim to car theft. But one man who said his was stolen has been accused by police of engaging in an insurance fraud scheme.

Thieves can’t steal a non-running Dodge Hellcat.

When the man, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee, reported his Challenger Hellcat stolen, he eventually was able to collect a whopping $91,000 from his insurance provider. But police say the guy had reported the same Mopar muscle car as stolen only months before, only using a different VIN, as reported by WREG.

Once police made this allegation, they charged him with theft of property and booked him into jail. But the guy says he’s not only innocent but was taken for a ride and the police have everything backwards.

Back in January 2023 the man reported to police that his 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat had been stolen as it sat outside a building in downtown Memphis. In March he was given the $91,077.85 check by Progressive.

However, in November 2023, Progressive was contacted by Memphis Airport Police since the same guy filed a report about his 2021 Dodge Challenger Hellcat being stolen from long-term parking. What made police suspicious was the alleged victim providing a fake VIN in the police report.

That led police to conclude the 2021 Challenger Hellcat never actually existed and was in fact the 2019 muscle car re-vinned to try passing it off as a different vehicle. We’ve seen this trick employed many times, but usually by thieves who then try selling a car to private buyer or a dealership.

The Hellcat owner contacted WREG after it originally ran the story and told his side. He claims to have been a victim in a complex web of fraud.

Supposedly, after the 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat was stolen, he found a replacement vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, which he then bought. Even though it was a different color, he now thinks it was the same one which was stolen from him. What are the chances?

He also claims the Hellcat was stolen from him a second time as it sat at the airport. The guy must have the worst luck ever.

Image via Isaiah Gutierrez/Facebook

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