TV Host Adam Savage’s Stolen Toyota Land Cruiser Recovered After Thief Buries It in Mud

Think Land Cruisers can’t get stuck? Myth=busted.

byChris Chin|
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Television personality and geeky gearhead Adam Savage recently had a nightmarish day that, luckily, ended up better than anyone could've imagined. The former Mythbusters co-host took to Twitter to share his recent debacle after a thief made off with his classic Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42. In an interesting turn of events, however, Savage managed to recover his stolen 4x4 rather quickly after a bit of luck and criminal stupidity.

On Saturday, Savage posted a tweet saying his vintage off-roader had been stolen but, in the same post, mentioned that San Francisco authorities had found the vehicle after his home security cameras caught the thief red-handed. The Land Cruiser bandit apparently jacked the truck in the wee hours of the morning after hotwiring it and heading for the hills.

Thankfully, the crook wasn't able to make off with the Land Cruiser and list it on the black market for a quick paycheck. Rather, authorities found it abandoned and stuck in the mud not too far from Savage's home.

In a likely hasty attempt to try and get the BJ42 unstuck, the thief, described by Savage's neighbors as a “skinny white dude wearing a beanie,” then tried to use the truck’s onboard winch. He apparently failed, leaving the 'Yota in its stuck position on the side of a hill, seemingly making off with just the winch controller.

Since the vehicle was buried deep in the muck, Savage rang for a tow truck. Hilariously, misfortune continued as the wrecker managed to get stuck in the same spot, prompting the crew to call in a second truck. Oops.

It didn’t even end there as the second truck struggled as well, sliding in the mud and damaging a neighbor’s nearby fence. Double oops.

After a full day of failed attempts, Savage’s FJ40 was finally freed and driven away from the scene relatively unscathed, aside from a blown fuse and a bit of extra dirt caked into the wheel wells. To top it all off, the dimwitted thief apparently left a can of bear deterrent spray behind, leaving a clue and some fingerprints behind that will hopefully bring them to justice.

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