In a recent Twitter thread, Tarikh Campbell is alleging that rental company Avis stole his rental car back from him on the evening before his flight, and the full story is about as crazy as that premise sounds.
His full thread is below:
“Have you ever had a rental car company steal their car back from you?” Campbell asked. “Well this just happened to me. I’m not usually one to take to Twitter in this way. I’m barely ever here. But I feel this is my only option short of taking legal action. So here goes.”
Campbell said he rented a white 2020 Toyota Camry from Newark Liberty International Airport during a visit to family and friends. He parked it outside of his childhood home, then went to get behind the wheel at 10:30 PM to go out to see friends. The car was no longer there.
“The police confirmed that there was no impound order on the car, so it couldn’t have been towed,” Campbell wrote. “That left me with the thought that it could have been stolen. Even though I still had the keys? And it wasn’t a keyless start vehicle? And car theft has never been a problem here?”
He called Avis to see if they could track the car via GPS, but Avis directed him back to the police. Without a car, Campbell had to take a Lyft to the airport to speak to the Avis desk in person. That representative told him that, since he hadn’t returned the car, he would continue to be charged for it and would be liable for any damages if it wasn’t returned.
Campbell disconnected the EZ-Pass he had brought with him to put in the car before realizing that he could use that info to see if the car had passed through any tolls.
His aunt’s security camera also captured a red tow truck picking up his Toyota.
That presented a conundrum. That meant the car hadn’t been stolen, but the police said it hadn’t been registered in an impound lot. Campbell then received an alert that Avis had received his returned rental vehicle. He spent hours trying to connect with someone who could tell him what happened, but he never got through. According to an Avis rep speaking to NorthJersey.com, the incident is still being investigated.
Whatever the answer ends up being, it's one hell of a wild ride.