Mechanic asks for just $37 to fix a car, steals it instead
When a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. A Pennsylvania woman paid a private mechanic just $37 to buy parts, fix her car, and have it inspected. Sure enough, he refused to give the vehicle back and she was forced to report it stolen.
The woman reported her car stolen on July 28, saying she hadn’t seen the vehicle for 17 days. She had given it to 29-year-old Corey Sybert of Newville, Pennsylvania. It was out of inspection and needed work. So Sybert quoted her $37, paid up front.
In Pennsylvania, most shops certified to inspect vehicles charge $40 to $90 for a sticker. Sybert didn’t claim to own a certified shop, so after buying parts and fixing the car, he would still have to pay someone else to inspect it. There’s no way it all adds up to just $37.
Sybert also told the vehicle owner to communicate with him through his girlfriend’s phone, presumably because he didn’t have his own. After two weeks without an update, she began to suspect something didn’t add up.
Sybert refused to repair or return the vehicle
When the owner demanded her vehicle back, Sybert told her he wouldn’t fix the car. When she threatened to contact police, Sybert said he would not go to jail for something he had not done. Perhaps he forgot the part where he had accepted her money for services to be rendered.
Sybert also told her the car was in someone else’s garage in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. But he refused to give her the address.
Here’s the timeline: On July 28, the woman reported her vehicle stolen. According to the police report, officers were dispatched to talk with her at 11:05 a.m. on Aug. 5. Police then used her phone to contact Sybert. They reportedly tried to coordinate a successful exchange and get her car back, but no luck.
On Aug. 14, Lower Paxton Township police located the stolen vehicle. It was not in a garage, but at the intersection of South Hocks Road and Wyoming Avenue. On the same day, Corey Allan Sybert was arrested for motor vehicle theft and drug-related charges. He hasn’t posted his $25,000 bail, so he remains in Dauphin County Prison.
