Tulsa Man Retrieves Stolen Car Via Facebook

When Wes Wood had his Impala stolen from his drive-way last weekend, he put the word out on his neighborhood association's Facebook page and they answered the call.

Because of that post, someone spotted the car just 36 hours later. The old Impala may not be worth big money, but to Wes, who's owned it since he was 14, it's priceless.

Wood says the thieves swapped out the ignition system and damaged his radiator, but he's just glad to have his 1968 Chevy Impala back where it belongs.

It's more than just a car, the Impala is a part of Wes' life. He's had it since 1982.

"My dad actually bought it for me when I was 14. He painted it, overhauled it and I drove it all through high school," Wes explained.

About 10 years ago, he stopped driving it and it just sat in his drive-way. He thought about selling it, but couldn't bear the thought, so he got it running again.

He aired up the flats, got it tagged and insured and then, just three weeks later, it disappeared from his drive-way.

"I'm thinking, no, I didn't have it anywhere else. There's other cars in the garage so it couldn't have gone anywhere," he said.

He filed a police report and posted it on the Hoover Neighborhood Facebook page. Turns out, the old car was quite the icon in the neighborhood and neighbors were glad to spread the word.

That's where Pastor Johnny Hinton comes in. He was taking his daughter to school the very next morning.

"The car was waiting at Richmond and 4th on the side of the road. I noticed it and I said, that looks like the car," Hinton said.

And sure enough, it was. Just 36 hours after it was stolen, Wes had it back.

Even though the two men had exchanged messages on the Facebook page, they hadn't met until we got them together. At first, Wes was at a loss for words.

"I was fairly nervous. I didn't say a whole lot, but thank you, you have no idea," Wes said,

Now, these two strangers are not only friends in real life, but, on Facebook too and they're both impressed with how the neighborhood banded together when it counted.

When the car was being towed to Wes' workplace, a Tulsa police officer spotted it, turned around and followed it, then called Wes to see if it had been recovered or was being towed away by the thieves. As it turns out, the officer had also seen the post and had been watching for it.