In a hilarious case of mistaken car identity this week, police in Ontario, Oregon say they recovered a car thought to have been stolen from a supermarket after it was accidentally driven home by an elderly couple who thought it was theirs. Oh, old people.
The story, reported by KATU News, goes that the driver of a white 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass parked at a Red Apple store and left their keys inside. At some point, the couple got into the Olds and drove it home, thinking it was theirs. The driver (also a senior citizen) reported the Olds as stolen.
The grocery store later called police to complain that a white 1993 Chrysler LeBaron had been left in the parking lot for several days. The cops traced the LeBaron back to the couple, who said their car was parked at home. But when the police went there, they discovered what had happened. A vehicle exchange took place and no charges were filed.
I do actually feel sorry for this couple. They didn't mean to take the car, they just got confused! And although the TV news story's photo didn't make this clear, a LeBaron and an Olds Cutlass can look kind of similar under the right conditions if maybe your vision isn't great — check out my photo above. Plus, the driver of the Olds shouldn't have left their keys in the car, because you're just begging someone to steal it when you do that. Then again, elderly driver.
This probably happens more often than we realize. I know it's happened to me. This one time, I got "confused" and accidentally drove home in a V10 M5 instead of my Subaru. So confusing because they're both sedans, am I right? That's the story my lawyer told me to stick with, anyway.
Photos credit MSVG/Cauldron Graphix
Hat tip to Paul!