Stolen Hellcat returned to Ottawa dealership missing engine

OTTAWA (KSNT) – An Ottawa dealership says a stolen Dodge Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak Edition is back but was professionally gutted.

27 News reached out to the dealership after it announced the Hellcat had been returned, but missing many of its parts. Nathan Lauck with Victory Dodge, located at 506 East 23rd Street, said that because of how the car was returned, he believed it was a professional job.

“There weren’t any wires that were frayed,” Lauck said. “It wasn’t their first rodeo.”

Lauck said nearly everything of value was stripped from the car, including most of the fuses. He said the engine, transmission, fuel tank, seats, headliner, carpet, dashboard and more were taken out of the car.

27 News asked if insurance would cover the cost of the damage. Lauck said it would, but the dealership will still need to pay a large deductible. He added the dealership has had to pay for the doors and glass that was broken during the initial theft. Altogether, Lauck said the ordeal will cost the dealership tens of thousands of dollars and could cause insurance rates to go up.

Suspects used a vehicle to crash into the Victory Dodge dealership sales floor on June 16 to steal the Hellcat. The Ottawa Police Department said the driver inside the Hellcat fled into Johnson County, where multiple agencies attempted to stop the vehicle. Victory Dodge said the Hellcat was returned by police in the last two weeks.

The chase was ended by the Wellsville Police Department when the vehicle fled into Kansas City, Missouri. Ottawa police issued a press release announcing that a 23-year-old woman was in custody in connection with the theft on June 16. She was arrested for theft, felony flee and elude and an out-of-state warrant.

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