Quentin Tarantino's stolen Pulp Fiction car recovered by police
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Nearly two decades after thieves made off with the cherry-red convertible driven by John Travolta’s character Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, the 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu has turned up in Oakland, California.
The car, which belonged to the director, Quentin Tarantino, was stolen in 1994, the year the film was released. It was eventually found by chance earlier this month when Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Arrieta in the Californian city of Victorville noticed two men stripping a Chevrolet Malibu.
Arrieta went on to question the men, one of whom is said to have insisted that the car had belonged to him since the 1970s. In the course of his investigation, Deputy Arrieta checked the vehicle’s unique identification number with official records. The search turned up something strange: there was a second car with the same identification number in the city of Oakland. The Oakland car was registered with local authorities, while the Victorville car hadn’t been registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles for several decades.
Further investigation, however, showed that the identification number belonged to the Victorville car. Someone had coped or cloned the number and used it to make the Oakland vehicle appear legitimate. The reason? The Oakland Malibu had been stolen from Mr Tarantino all those years ago. The current owner is not reported to have played role in the theft, and is considered a fraud victim.
“Deputy Arrieta did a really good job with this case,” Sgt Albert Anolin from Victorville sheriff’s station told the local San Bernardino County Sun. “He took what many would’ve seen as a minor case and followed it through until it broke this much larger case.”
It’s not clear if the car has yet been returned to the Oscar-winning director.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments