Philadelphia man says he was billed for crime he didn't commit | Investigation

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- An Action News viewer turned to our investigative team after a Bucks County police department billed him for a crime he didn't commit.

It turned out, he was a victim himself.

This all began after the Kensington resident found his car missing from his home.

"At first, like, I was like, 'I thought I parked my car there, but did I park it down there?'" recalled Matt Howdershell. "And then I'm like, 'No, I definitely parked my car there.'"

Howdershell said he came out of his home on a July morning to find his Mazda 3 had vanished. He'd just driven it the day prior.

"So, I check the Ring footage just to see what was going on and all of it was on this camera," he said.

His camera picked up shadows and multiple people circling the car around 4 a.m. with flashlights.

"It was there one minute and then it was gone. I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, my car is stolen,'" he said.

So, he called the Philadelphia police who came and took a report.

But five days later, Howdershell says a Lower Makefield police officer called and offered vague details: his Mazda was impounded as evidence after allegedly being used in some crimes.

"I was just so shocked," he said. "Is it still in one piece? Like, what condition is it in? But I also never expected to see my car again."

He said nearly a week later, police called back and he got the good news -- he could retrieve his Mazda. Police told him they were the ones who towed it.

But he said he was told he'd first have to pony up $360 for towing and storage.

Though he was shocked, Howdershell paid the fee after being out of a car for 10 days.

But he called the Investigative Team after a police report left on the seat revealed the details of what unfolded that night.

"They were looking for an iPhone charger, a Starbucks tumbler and a black leather jacket all valued at a total of $20 to $30," he said.

He wanted a refund.

The police report also revealed that the crime spree began after thieves swiped his license plate earlier that night and put it on a similar car.

A Lower Makefield patrol officer spotted the suspects, investigated and then tracked the plate back to Howdershell's Kensington address.

"Then they saw a car without a license plate, and they thought, 'Oh, this must be the car committing all these crimes,'" he said.

Lower Makefield police told the Investigative Team this was simply a misunderstanding. And after we got involved, they promised they would pay Howdershell back.

A lieutenant said they had been investigating a rash of car break-ins at the time. The impound was a routine part of the investigation.

Howdershell said a doorknock that night could have prevented it all.

"Living in the city and then these suburban cops come out. You're like, in the city, if this had happened, no one would come out. But like, the fact that these suburban cops came, it's, I don't know, It just blows my mind."

Howdershell said days after he got his car back, the thieves were still driving around with his plate.

He received dozens of speeding tickets from cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard that he was able to dispute.