Michigan State Police recover vehicles stolen from police in Warren, Detroit, and Southfield

VAN BUREN TWP, Mich. - Michigan State Police located several stolen vehicles onboard a car hauler being towed by a semi-truck.

The stolen vehicle recovery netted several thousands of dollars in retrieved cash and at least three stolen Dodge cars.

Police first became aware of the theft after receiving a call from a citizen around 10 p.m. Oct. 21. The stolen vehicle had a GPS tracker installed on the car, which allowed the owner to direct the dispatcher to the location of the vehicle.

Police initially believed the vehicle was traveling under its own power on a freeway in Van Buren Township.

Instead, police saw a semi-tractor with a car hauling trailer. On the trailer was the stolen vehicle's registration plate. Once observed, police performed a traffic stop on the trailer.

Michigan State Police recovered a semi-tractor that was towing a car-hauling trailer with three vehicles stolen from police departments on it. (Michigan State Police)

The driver, a resident from Long Beach, CA, said he had recently purchased the semi-tractor trailer and was currently en-route to Belleville to pick up another vehicle.

On board the car-hauler that Michigan State Police located were three Dodge Chargers or Challengers that had been stolen from police departments (Michigan State Police)

An inventory of the vehicles onboard resulted in the recovery of $10,000 in cash, a 2020 Dodge Charger that was reported stolen by the Warren Police Department, a 2017 Dodge Challenger that was reported stolen by the Detroit Police Department, and a 2018 Dodge Charger that was reported stolen by the Southfield Police Department.

MSP's Southeast Auto Theft Team is continuing to investigate.