Cape Coral man’s car found crushed at junk yard after it was reported stolen

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A SWFL man is without a car after thieves stole it, and sold it to U Pull & Save on MLK Boulevard for $200 where it was eventually crushed.

“I’m very aggravated,” said car owner James Wheeles. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Last week, Wheeles reported his car was stolen to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. A few days later, deputies found his car totaled.

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“U Pull & Save has went ahead and sat another car on top of my car without running the VIN and it showing up stolen,” Wheeles said.

U Pull & Save says they contacted deputies once they noticed the car was stolen, but the damage had already been done.

“Why you gonna sat another car on top of another car before checking the VIN to see if it’s stolen. For me, that’s just stupid,” Wheeles said.

The company issued the following statement:

“We have notified the owner and have informed him that we intend to make him whole for any damages that occurred while it was on U Pull & Save’s property.”

At the Garden Street U Pull It, David Poupard—head of automotive operations—says there are laws in place to prevent accidents like this from happening.

“We hold that vehicle until we get clearance from the state to destroy that vehicle,” he said.

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By law, before customers sell a car to a junk yard, they must provide an ID and proof of title before handing over the keys.

“We make sure the VIN plate on the dash is accurate with the VIN number reported,” Poupard said.

The sheriff’s office says no arrests in the case have been made yet. Wheeles says he wants to take legal action.

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