Bank of America "borrows" a 1973 Dodge Challenger from foreclosed home

Posted Jun 22nd 2012 5:45PM

CommentsAdd

Today's tough economy sure isn't easy, as we hear horror stories of big banks ruthlessly foreclosing on homes throughout the United States. But it's time to fight back for Mopar muscle enthusiast Aaron Dahrooge, as the Bank of America may have wrongfully caused the disappearance of his beloved plum-crazy purple 1973 Dodge Challenger (He's pictured above alongside his lime green 1971 Dodge Charger).

It all started when Mr. Dahrooge went with his teenage son to retrieve his flawless 1973 Challenger from his late-mother's home where he typically stored the vehicle over the winter season. When he pulled into the driveway, he immediately noticed the garage door had been padlocked from the outside.

"I thought that was weird, so I went around to the back to look through the window and saw the car was gone! My heart just dropped," Mr. Dahrooge recalled.

You see his mother, April Dahrooge, died last year and her mortgage lender, Bank of America, had an ongoing foreclosure proceeding against her home (where his vintage Challenger was stored) at the time of her death. But as the executor of her estate, Mr. Dahrooge points out the foreclosure proceeding had not been completed, according to city property tax and state land records.

A neighbor told Mr. Dahrooge that a work crew in a GMC Yukon had come to the house a few days before to winterize and secure it, (a typical step banks take to protect their collateral in foreclosure proceedings on vacant houses).

Witnesses saw the same GMC Yukon at the house two days after the winterization work, as "They unlocked the garage lock with their keys and towed the car out of there. The whole thing took five minutes," according to neighbors.

Mr. Dahrooge reported the car stolen, and the witness gave a statement to police about what he had seen. The mega-bank (with more than $2 trillion in assets) has yet to provide any information or even accept some responsibility for the missing collector car. Mr. Dahrooge scoffed at the bank's claim that it is in full cooperation with the investigation.

"I can't tell you how many times I've called the bank. They're stonewalling me," Mr. Dahrooge said. "Every time I called Bank of America, it was the same. They're the worst of the worst."

The detective assigned to the case told him that the bank did not respond to a mailed subpoena seeking the name of the winterization vendor. Spokespeople for the Worcester Police Department and Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office declined to comment on the case, saying the investigation into the missing car remains open.

"I can't tell you how many times I've called the bank. They're stonewalling me," Mr. Dahrooge said. "Every time I called Bank of America, it was the same. They're the worst of the worst."

The bank has been hit with lawsuits alleging similar incidents in California and Texas, the New York Times reported. Meanwhile, Dahrooge will continue fighting for the return of his vintage Dodge Challenger and we hope it turns up soon.

News Source: Telegram.com