How a Tech Millionaire's Tinder Date Ended With His Jaguar Stolen

A marriage falling apart. A return to the dating scene. A promising Tinder match. A brazen car theft? The Verge details the absolutely wild story of how one man’s search for new romance ended with his Jaguar being stolen right from under his nose — not to mention, a failed sting operation where he tried to get it back.

Thirty-two-year-old self-described “tech millionaire” Mike Vallejo lives in Portland, Oregon. When his marriage started to unravel, Mike wanted companionship, he decided to join Tinder. He claims he got 15 matches in just 12 hours. One of those matches was a woman who called herself Ky.

The red flags started immediately, but Mike didn’t seem to pick up on any of them. Ky’s profile was strange and spartan. She had no bio and only two photos. They started talking and set up a date and time to meet.

That’s when things got stranger. Ky started asking random questions, and Mike, caught up in the rush, dutifully answered. From The Verge:

Do you want to get a hotel? Sure. How will you pay? Credit card. Can you pull out cash instead? Okay.

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Eventually, Ky asked what kind of car Mike drove. He told her about his Jaguar F-Type. Then she asked if she could drive it. He agreed.

What followed was a strange and wild night that, again, was full of red flags. When they met up, Mike realized Ky didn’t look like her profile photos. When he tossed her the keys to the Jag, she drove wildly, and didn’t seem familiar with the area where they met. After a late-night meal at Denny’s, Ky drove them — still in Mike’s Jaguar — to Oregon City, where she said she was staying with a friend for the night.

What happened next is just too wild to summarize, involving a holdup at gunpoint, a partnership with a different criminal, a failed sting operation, and so much more. Head on over to The Verge to read the wild story in full. No matter how bad your worst date was, this will make you feel better.