GREENFIELD, Wis. — A Greenfield woman says the car she planned to give her son for his 17th birthday was stolen from her apartment parking lot, sold to a scrapyard using a forged bill of sale, and crushed — before police could even get involved.
Tina Hansen is the third victim TMJ4 has interviewed in recent weeks whose stolen car was crushed before police could act.
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Surveillance video obtained by the Greenfield Police Department shows a tow truck entering Hansen's apartment complex parking lot on March 17 and leaving with her car just seven minutes later.
"We didn't know if it was stolen, if the property manager had it towed for some reason. They didn't, so obviously it was stolen," Hansen said.
Hansen reported the car stolen to Greenfield Police the next morning. Police documents show officers tracked down the tow truck driver, who told them the owner of the vehicle had wanted cash for their car.
According to police records, the tow truck company then sold the red Toyota Camry to a scrapyard on Mill Road the following morning.
"The whole thing was a bunch of red flags. So I don't understand why he bought it from her in the first place," Hansen said.
Police records show officers determined the tow truck driver and the scrapyard were not to blame. Investigators say the thief wrote a bogus handwritten bill of sale and forged Hansen's signature — all to make $300.
"It gives you goosebumps thinking that someone's pretending to be you and to go through all that," Hansen said.
Watch: Third car theft victim calls on state to require a title to scrap vehicles
“She knew your name somehow. How do you think she figured that out? Investigative Reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"It had to have been from the registration papers left in the glove box," Hansen said.
Hansen says she still had the keys and a title certificate when the car was stolen. But she learned from the police that neither was required.
Under state law, a bill of sale that anyone can write qualifies as documentation for a tow truck driver to buy a car and sell it to a scrapyard, as long as the seller also shows their ID.
"There needs to be a law stating that they need to check for, they need to have a physical title. If not, then you could get in trouble for taking the car," Hansen said.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says it is now investigating the issue following TMJ4’s reporting and is considering "what the next steps might be."
Both Republicans and Democrats say it is a problem they want to solve.
"A tow truck driver has got to at least have a title, something that says I own this vehicle and I'm scrapping it," said Rep. Bob Donovan, a Greenfield Republican.
Hansen hopes lawmakers follow through and that the suspect who stole her car is charged. Greenfield Police say that is where the case is headed.
The scrapyard where the stolen vehicle was taken declined to comment. TMJ4’s efforts to reach the tow truck company were unsuccessful.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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