Have you ever wondered what life your SUV gets to enjoy after trading it in? You hope your used car gets a good life. However, one woman had her Jeep Wrangler stolen at a Kia dealership because the salesman needed a place to sleep. 

Car salesman steals Jeep Wrangler to live in 

A New Jersey woman is taking action by filing a lawsuit against a Kia dealership in Passaic County. Allegedly, a salesman used her information to steal a Jeep Wrangler she was trading in. 

47-year-old Laura Halen provided documents proving that she leased a vehicle from Fette Kia in Cliffton on May 20, 2024. She also traded her Wrangler in. 

According to Yahoo, the deal was handled by Argenis R. Checo. He was a contractor working for the dealership. He explained that he would return the Wrangler to Paramus Jeep on her behalf and complete the paperwork. 

However, Halen started getting parking tickets and EZPass tickets related to the Jeep after Checo claimed he returned the vehicle to Paramus. The unpaid tickets led to an arrest warrant for Halen, but the dealership maintained its innocence. 

Halen turned to the Verona police for help. Officers determined that Checo had been driving the Jeep Wrangler and living in it for months. The lawsuit also targets Kia Fette for negligence in trusting him. 

Checo was immediately fired and charged with theft for unlawful taking. He paid out $1,016 in assessed losses. The lawsuit claims that Fette Kia either knew or should have known that the Jeep was never returned to the Paramus dealership. 

A simple trade-in turned into quite the nightmare!