GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A Howard man was arrested Thursday for stealing vehicles that he would test drive.
Officers say James Nys would test drive vehicles that were being sold privately and agree to buy them but would keep the vehicles without paying for them, or leave a vehicle behind as collateral and come back later to get the vehicle.
Green Bay Captain Jeremy Muraski explains the police department quickly put two and two together.
“We recognized a pattern after we got a second similar complaint,” he explains.
Captain Muraski was able to shed some light on how he was pulling this off.
“He’s kind of agreeing to make a payment plan for the vehicle,” he explains. “Typically what the victim will do is they will hand over the title but not actually sign in.”
These incidents are unusual in nature, but Captain Muraski claims there are some easy guidelines to follow to avoid being scammed.
“I would never give anybody proof of ownership of a vehicle unless they had cash in hand or if they had a check and had the opportunity to cash it and let it clear for a few days,” he explains.
Officers say Nys was targeting members of the Hispanic community and they are still investigating to find out what happened to the vehicles that he stole.
