If Chen ran out of fuel in his car, he would abandon it and steal a new one.
A man from China’s Liaoning province stole eight cars to travel home after finding plane tickets too expensive, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, citing Chinese media outlet New Yellow River.
The man, surnamed Chen, bought a plane ticket for about 1,500 yuan (about $200 in U.S. dollars) on May 31. But he canceled the ticket because the price was too high. He then set off on a solo journey from Changsha city (in Hunan province).
During the journey, he stole eight cars worth about 1 million yuan (about $140,000) across seven cities in China. His targets were unlocked car dealerships and deserted parking lots. He stole keys to start old cars and hacked their ignition systems.
He would abandon the stolen cars when they ran out of fuel and steal more. He would also steal valuables from the cars to buy food and pay road tolls. His entire journey took more than 14 hours on the road.
During this time, police recovered a stolen car. It was estimated to be worth about 150,000 yuan (about $20,000). On June 2, police began investigating after a showroom in Wuhan, central China, found the vehicle and car keys missing. They discovered that the stolen car was traveling north from Wuhan.
Two days later, Chen injured the owner in a carjacking in Hebei province. However, Peik fled the scene in fear. Finally, on June 4, he was found sleeping in a stolen car in a parking lot and arrested by the police.
Authorities seized eight stolen cars. Chen is currently in police custody. He could face more than 10 years in prison and a hefty fine.
The incident went viral on social media across China. Many netizens reacted to it and expressed their opinions. One commented —
“All this for just 1,500 yuan? It’s not worth it. Why travel if you can’t afford it?”
Another commented —
“Chen has a clear willpower. If he had used it in the path of righteousness, he could have achieved anything. How unfortunate!”