Chinese Man Cancels Booked Flight, Steals 8 Cars To Go Home

A man from China's Liaoning province stole eight cars and used them on his way home, as the air tickets were too expensive, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, quoting media outlet New Yellow River.

The man, surnamed Chen, bought a flight ticket for 1,500 yuan (US$200) on May 31, but cancelled it because of its high price. He had been travelling alone in Changsha, Hunan province.

He stole eight cars worth around 1 million yuan (USD140,000) in total, travelling through seven cities in China. He targeted unlocked car dealerships and quiet car parks, stealing keys and tampering with ignitions to start older car models.

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Chen would abandon cars when they ran out of fuel and steal new ones. He also took valuables from the vehicles to pay for food and road tolls. His journey covered more than 14 hours on the road.

However, police once tracked a stolen car worth over 150,000 yuan (US$20,000) and followed its trail after a member of staff at a showroom in Wuhan, central China, noticed on June 2 that the vehicle and car keys were missing. Officers found that the car had left Wuhan, heading north.

A couple of days later, Chen injured a car owner during one of his thefts in Hebei province but flew away in panic. He was eventually arrested in a Hebei car park on June 4 after he was found asleep inside a stolen car.

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Police have recovered all eight stolen cars, and Chen remains in police custody. He faces more than 10 years in prison and a fine.

The report mentioned that the story went viral on the country's social media, gaining massive traction. As quoted, one user said, "All this just to avoid spending 1,500 yuan? Totally not worth it. Why travel if you cannot afford it?"

"Chen clearly has determination. If he applied it elsewhere, he could have achieved something, what a waste," another user said as per the report.