KENOSHA, WI — A Kenosha woman says she was the victim of a theft after a Facebook Marketplace deal went wrong when potential buyers took a $23,500 Polaris Slingshot for a test drive and never returned.
Dave and Susan Pierson were trying to sell a 2021 three-wheeled slingshot when the incident occurred Sunday night.
Susan Pierson had been selling on Facebook Marketplace for years. When her brother, Dave, wanted to sell his slingshot, she wanted to help.
She met with the buyers Sunday night. They are pictured in video from the scene, but their faces have been blurred as they have not yet been charged with a crime.
Watch: Kenosha woman warns caution after she was the victim of a Facebook Marketplace theft
The buyers asked to test drive the vehicle, and that is when things went wrong.
"Felt it was easier for them to just come here for what we thought was just going to be a quick test drive up on the interstate around the next exit and come back, but I mean he was gone well over an hour," Pierson said.
Susan texted the buyers repeatedly, but they kept making excuses for the length of the drive. Eventually they stopped responding. That is when she called police.
"Now it's like faith in humanity, is that gone now? Do you not trust anybody?" Pierson said.
Kenosha police are investigating the incident. They say it appears to be an isolated incident. The department also encourages sellers to go with potential buyers during a test drive and to take pictures of the buyer's ID if possible.
Susan says she did not feel comfortable going alone. She says if she did it again, she would have trusted her instincts.
"Sellers, beware, you have to be vigilant. If you feel there's a red flag, listen to your gut. If it means bypassing your sale, there's going to be another one. I wish I would've done that this time," Pierson said.
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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