Picture: Edward Neely

Cars are stolen every day in America. In fact, approximately every 24 seconds, a motor vehicle is swiped somewhere in this country. It is a sad but true fact, made all the sadder by the notion that most stolen car cases go unresolved. Such was the case of Edward Neely, whose prized Camaro was stolen from him one day. Muscle cars are even more difficult to track down, as the common practice of VIN-switching makes them almost impossible to identify.

16 years later and Neely had decided to finally search for a car to replace his long lost Camaro. KSL.com reports that either coincidence, fate, or “divine intervention” led Neely back to his Camaro, which was now registered to a Utah man.

Neely, who lives in Missouri, was searching the KSL classified section for a new Camaro when this one with a wild paintjob caught his eye. It is owned by Brent Dockerty, who owns an automotive shop and bought the Camaro a few years ago on eBay. Officers at the time verified it was not stolen, but a little more sleuthing led investigators to discover that this was, in fact, the same Camaro that was stolen from Neely over 16 years ago.

Dockerty is understandably unhappy, but has pledged to return the car to Neely. Dockerty wants to be paid for the aftermarket parts he put on the car, valued at around  $10,000. Neely has agreed, provided Dockerty provides receipts, and hopefully the two can come to a gentleman’s agreement of sorts. But Dockerty has pledged to return the Camaro to Neely, who had owned the Camaro since turning 18 before it was stolen. That’s a happy-enough ending for us.