In November 1997, the man had contacted Frankfurt authorities to report his car missing. At the time, the incident appeared to be a standard vehicle theft, and the case was logged without resolution. The car’s disappearance remained unexplained for years, effectively vanishing from both the streets and the man’s memory.
The case took an unexpected turn when workers preparing to tear down an industrial building alerted police to an abandoned car in a sealed garage. What began as a routine construction report quickly became the conclusion of a two-decade-long misunderstanding.
Parked and Lost for Two Decades
The car was found in an industrial garage that had remained closed off since the late ’90s. When demolition teams accessed the building, they discovered the dust-covered vehicle and contacted local authorities. The license plate allowed investigators to trace the owner, who was brought in to identify it.
According to Supercar Blondie, the man was reunited with his long-lost car, only to discover it was no longer operational. After sitting idle for 20 years, the vehicle had deteriorated beyond use and was ultimately scrapped. No foul play was suspected, as the vehicle hadn’t moved since the day it was parked.
Not the Only Case of Long-Term Forgetfulness
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Another man in Munich reported a missing car, only for it to be found two years later just four kilometers from where he believed he had parked. Supercar Blondie reports that the vehicle contained a large sum of money and tools valued in the thousands, all untouched.
These cases point to a broader pattern—vehicle disappearances aren’t always the result of theft. In some instances, they’re caused by simple human error. In both German cases, the cars remained undisturbed, suggesting that urban infrastructure can inadvertently hide vehicles in plain sight.
Celebrities Forget Too
Forgetting where you parked isn’t limited to everyday drivers. Some high-profile individuals have been caught in similar situations. Pop star Justin Bieber lost track of his $260,000 Ferrari for three weeks after a night out. His assistant eventually located the car in West Hollywood.
An even more extreme example involved Richard Harris, best known for playing Dumbledore in the first Harry Potter films. His Rolls-Royce sat in a New York parking garage for 25 years. Media reports estimated the unpaid parking fees could have reached over half a million dollars.
