Pa. car thieves sell stolen vehicles with fake titles, police say

Several people were charged in connection to a largescale car theft ring based out of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in which vehicles were stolen and then resold using fake titles and fraudulent insurance information, officials said.

The investigation began on Aug. 19, 2025, when a Pennsylvania state trooper ran background checks on vehicles parked at the Knights Inn on the 2700 block of Lincoln Highway in Bensalem Township.

The trooper spotted a 2019 black Honda Accord. A background check revealed the vehicle had been involved in a recent crash in which it was deemed a total loss. Records also showed a potential odometer rollback on the car, according to the criminal complaint.

The trooper also reviewed photos of the vehicle from records which showed discrepancies between the car in the pictures and the vehicle in the parking lot, including the color of the interior, officials said.

The trooper located the owner of the vehicle who was staying in a nearby hotel room. The man said he had bought the car through Facebook Marketplace for $5,000. Through the man, police identified the person who sold him the car.

Investigators also determined the car had been stolen out of Philadelphia on Aug. 27, 2024. While the man who sold the vehicle gave the customer a Michigan title for the car that was dated back to Feb. 16, 2023, police found no record of the title number.

Investigators also said the customer was given a remote-start key with a generic key fob that was not made by Honda.

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