Ferrari Stolen, Damaged in Joy Ride – Driver Begs for Money
When Eadweard York entered the Ferrari & Maserati dealer of Newport Beach last month, he expected to pick up his girlfriend’s car – a $340,000 Ferrari 458 Spider. York’s girlfriend, Susan Friedman, purchased the car last year and planned to give the car to her son as a family heirloom. But, when York approached the customer service desk, he was told it was MIA. The car had been stolen from the lot.
Security footage at the dealership showed a man wearing a Ferrari jacket walking around the service center before taking off in the stolen vehicle. An employee had left its keys on the passenger seat – big mistake. And, it wasn’t until more than 24 hours late that anyone there noticed it was missing.
“It was just like Gone in 60 Seconds,” Friedman said, referring to the popular Hollywood hit. “I’m like in a shock. This whole last month has been a nightmare.”
Friedman’s initial theory was that a crime ring stole the Ferrari and put it in a shipping container headed for Asia. However, on November 1st, someone reported the Spider being driven erratically in Santa Ana. When police located it, it was parked at a Santa Ana gas station.
The man driving the Ferrari, which police identified as Israel Perez Rangel, 38, was begging bystanders for their pocket change after he had taken the car out for a joy ride so he could fuel it back up. He ran as soon as officers approached, but was eventually arrested behind the bushes at the entrance to the Holiday Inn, according to Anthony Bertagna, spokesperson for the Santa Ana Police Department.
Turns out, Rangel had driven the Spider some 1,400 miles over the course of two weeks. He posted various pictures and a list of damages he’d incurred to his Instagram account. The damages included a broken gear box, cracked fins and an impaired paddle shifter. Rangel captioned the photos, saying the dashboard was in pieces and the rubber had been burned off the tires. All in all, the total damages were estimated to be around $50,000. Evidently, he was high on drugs during his ride, and left behind remnants and vomit in the vehicle.
Friedman opted to receive a check from her insurance company for the depreciated value of the Ferrari, even though the service center offered her a similar car free of charge. Friedman used the insurance money for a new car – a 2018 Lamborghini Huracán. “I love it,” she said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Rangel pleaded not guilty to felony charges of vehicle theft with a prior felony conviction of driving or taking a vehicle, grand theft auto with a prior conviction, and vandalism. He also faces a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of theft over $200,000.
Rangel is a career criminal with a record dating back fifteen years, which includes vehicle theft, drug possession, resisting arrest, shoplifting, possession of a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a switchblade, criminal threats, evading a peace officer with reckless driving and buying or receiving a stolen vehicle or equipment, according to court records.
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