HOWELL – A 41-year-old male resident of Howell has been charged with receiving stolen property after an investigation determined he was in possession of a stolen 1977 Chevrolet Corvette and the 20-foot-long enclosed trailer the Corvette was stored in when it was stolen from a bowling alley in Ocean County.
Officers from the Howell Police Department arrested the Howell resident on May 18.
Police said the Corvette and the trailer were reported stolen from the Playdrome Lanes parking lot in Toms River in late February.
On May 17, Howell police received an anonymous tip that a stolen Corvette and a trailer might be at the Howell man’s residence.
Detective Sgt. Jack Headley, Detective Eric Encarnacion and Detective Robert Ortenzi investigated the matter and discovered that Toms River police took a report of a stolen Corvette and trailer in February, according to a press release.
The detectives were able to match the Corvette and the trailer they found in Howell to the vehicles that were stolen in Toms River and arrested the Howell man, who was initially placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township.
The trailer had been spray-painted black to alter its appearance and in an attempt to conceal it better, and it had a fraudulent vehicle indentification number attached to it, according to police.
Police said the Corvette was returned to its owner. Toms River Detective Louis Santora, who was investigating the theft in Toms River, responded to the Howell Police Department and assisted with the investigation.
