Adam Levine, a Ferrari owner, and.
$300,000 is a Laguna woman’s “nightmare.” Ferrari is taken from a service station in Costa Mesa and discovered wrecked in Santa Ana.
When Santa Ana police approached a man who they claimed was requesting money to fill up a Ferrari 458 Spider, they immediately realized something wasn’t right.
The nearly $300,000 exotic car was totaled, complete with vomit caked on the side, shattered fins, a wrecked gearbox, emblems taken off the engine and body, missing paddle shifters, and engine and body insignia torn from the wreckage.
Later, police discovered that the white 2015 model had been reported stolen from the Ferrari & Maserati of Newport Beach servicing location in Costa Mesa about two weeks earlier.
Israel Perez Rangel, 38, of Santa Ana, the suspect, has entered a not guilty plea to the felony charges of grand theft auto with a prior conviction, vehicle theft with a prior felony conviction of driving or taking a vehicle, and damage. According to Orange County Superior Court documents, he may also receive a sentence enhancement for alleged theft of more than $200,000.
Susan Friedman, a resident of Laguna Beach, went to the repair facility on October 19 to pick up her car. But staff members couldn’t locate it.
The key was reportedly left on the passenger seat by a worker. A man wearing a Ferrari jacket entered the property past personnel, looked in a few car windows, and then sped off in the Ferrari, according to security footage.
In reference to the 2000 Nicolas Cage film “Gone in 60 Seconds,” Friedman commented, “It was just like that.”
When contacted for comment on Monday, William Story, the owner and president of Ferrari & Maserati of Newport Beach, did not respond.
The Ferrari was stolen and placed in a shipping container destined for Asia, according to Friedman’s original assumption.
However, on November 1, someone in Santa Ana reported seeing an exotic car being driven erratically near Dyer Road and Hotel Terrace.
The Ferrari was discovered by a Santa Ana police officer at a Mobile gas station on East Dyer.
Anthony Bertagna, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department, stated that the suspect was apprehended at the Holiday Inn entrance after fleeing from the car.
According to surveillance footage, Rangel was the individual who had taken the car from the servicing center, according to Bertagna.
Rangel pled innocent on November 3. According to court records, he has a long criminal history that dates back to 2002. These offenses include car theft, drug possession, resisting arrest, shoplifting, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a switchblade, making criminal threats, eluding a peace officer with reckless driving, and purchasing or receiving stolen property.
In the end, Friedman’s insurance provider issued her a payout for the totaled car. She bought a 2018 Lamborghini Huracan with the money.