NEWARK, DE – On September 30, Newark police pulled over a vehicle after witnessing it performing donuts in the parking lot of the 896 Shops on South College Avenue. The driver was identified as Michael Kinlaw, 29, from Philadelphia.
Upon inspection, officers noted discrepancies between the temporary registration plate and the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the vehicle. A closer look revealed a second VIN plate overlaid on the original one in the vehicle’s window.
Further checks confirmed that the car had been reported stolen to the New Castle County Police in 2022.
A deeper dive into the history of the vehicle revealed that Kinlaw was the original owner of the stolen car. Interestingly, after the theft was reported and he received a payout from his insurance company, Kinlaw stumbled upon the vehicle and used a spare key to reclaim it. However, he never informed the insurance company of the recovery and instead pocketed the claim money.
Authorities are now handling the case, and charges are expected to be filed against Kinlaw for his role in this elaborate insurance fraud scheme.