A New Town man says he is gutted after his 1992 Ford Courier was stolen, crashed and set alight just three weeks after he bought it.
Campbell Woolley said he had been working on the sought-after car late at night before going to bed around 11pm on Tuesday.
When he came outside at 6:30am on Wednesday, it was gone.
“I thought the car rolled down the hill ’cause it’s an older car,” he told Pulse.
“It turns out they stole it at 4 o’clock in the morning.”
Woolley said he called police, then tried to track the thieves himself using an Apple AirTag hidden in his wallet, which had been left inside the car.
He and his father followed the signal past Glenorchy and met police at one address, but found nothing.
The AirTag then updated to a location in Moonah.
“Turns out what they did, they found the Apple AirTag on their way back in and put it down the stormwater drain,” Woolley said.
Police allege the pair attempted to steal a motorcycle in the Hobart CBD around 1:45pm before fleeing in the stolen Courier.
A significant police response was launched, but before officers arrived the vehicle collided with another car driven by a member of the public at the intersection of Risdon Road and the Brooker Highway.
The stolen vehicle then left the scene.
The car was later found on fire in Milburn Place, Glenorchy.
Police searched the area and arrested two men.
A 28-year-old Bridgewater man was charged with motor vehicle stealing, attempted motor vehicle stealing, driving while disqualified, failing to comply with driver duties after a crash, unlawfully setting fire to property and breaching conditions of a notice.
A 22-year-old Orford man was charged with motor vehicle stealing, attempted motor vehicle stealing and breach of bail conditions.
Both were detained to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court yesterday.
Woolley said the low-kilometre vehicle, which had only 150,000km on it and a rare tan interior, is likely a write-off.
“It’s hard to find something like that,” he said.
“I was pretty gutted.”
