Vallejo teen’s dream car stolen, found stripped for parts a month after being purchased

By Andrea Nakano

A Vallejo teen worked for months to buy his dream car. Then, just a month after he got the keys, the car was gone, without a trace.

Now, his mother is trying to bring awareness to this issue, claiming there has been a string of incidents with thieves targeting a particular car.

Melissa Billeci says her son bought the car in early June.

“He works at a restaurant, makes minimum wage,” Billeci said. “He saved up for the last four months to save up $4,000 to buy his dream car.”

Then last week, the dream car was gone.

“My son woke up Thursday morning to go to work,” she said. “He walked outside, and he turns around and says, ‘Mom, where’s my car?'”

The car is an Infiniti G37. She believes the thieves followed her son home, then stole the car. She posted pictures of the car all over social media, hoping it would be found.

“I was crying yesterday,” she said. “I was holding onto something. I was praying maybe the car would be found. Maybe, just maybe they just drove it around, and it had minor damage that we can work on getting fixed.”

Someone who saw her post found the car, but it was totally gutted. Engine gone. Tires gone. There was nothing left for Billeci’s son to salvage.

“Our kids have saved up and are good kids,” she said. “Trying to just be upstanding citizens and then you have people who are low-lifes, sorry to say, and just don’t care.”

Billeci says she also heard from a neighbor that their son’s G37 was stolen last week, and the missing parts were posted on an online marketplace. Billeci has started an online fundraiser to help her son recoup the cost of the car. She says their insurance wouldn’t cover it since the car had a salvage title. Her family has learned several lessons from this experience, but one in particular.

“It’s your dream car, but just really be careful with your surroundings,” she said. “That was the main thing I had to tell my son. Just like watch when you leave work. Pay attention. Just because he told me, ‘No one’s gonna steal my car. We live in a good neighborhood.’ I’m like, ‘They don’t go to the ghetto. This is where they come.'”

We contacted the Vallejo Police Department but did not hear back at the time this story was published. According to the department’s crime data, stolen vehicles have gone up 10% compared to the same time last year.