East Baton Rouge Parish resident Danielle Goodwill says she posted her 2013 Dodge Challenger SXT Coupe for sale on Facebook Marketplace earlier in July.
A potential buyer reached out and met her at a local notary to make the sale official. Things changed quickly when Goodwill said instead of presenting his identification and signing the bill of the sale, the man went outside and drove off in the Challenger.
Three weeks later, Goodwill doesn’t have the money and her car was recovered but it’s damaged and they have to shell out the money for repairs.
“I posted the car for sale on Facebook marketplace,” Goodwill recalled. “He contacted me under the name Chris ‘something.’ We met at the notary. He showed us the money. We knew he had it. The notary asked for his ID but he couldn’t find it. She tried to help him with downloading LA wallet. My husband was outside and had the car running and he jumped in and stole the car.”
Goodwill said everything leading up to the alleged theft was legit.
“Him and his girlfriend came to my house and looked at the car,” she recalled. “Everything seemed legit until we got to the notary.”
Goodwill said her husband chased after the alleged thief in their other car. He didn’t catch the perpetrator and damaged their other vehicle in the process.
“He posted the car (Challenger) for sale on Facebook,” Goodwill said of the alleged perpetrator. “He told people it was a flood vehicle. He poured water in the motor and let it run hot.”
Goodwill said the man met someone in Kentwood who bought the car for $400. She said the buyer found out the car was stolen when he went to have the car registered.
The buyer returned the car to Goodwill on July 28th, although in a severely diminished state from when they last saw the vehicle.
“The guy has been making fake Facebook accounts and stealing cars and selling them as junk cars,” Goodwill said.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and Central police are looking into the case but have not found the man.
She said they were selling the car to help with finances. The couple has seven children and is tasked with funding the repairs for the vehicle. They canceled the insurance just before the sale was supposed to be completed.
The experience has made Goodwill more than wary of using Facebook Marketplace again.
“I don’t wanna use it anymore,” she said. “I was already dealing with a lot. I just had a baby. It was crazy. Every time I saw a Challenger, I just relived the moment. For anyone else using it, just be aware. I don’t trust it.”
There is a gofundme page set up to help with the auto repairs.
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