Arrests Made for Theft of Paul Walker Porsche Wreckage
File this under "t" for tasteless.
Hours after Paul Walker and his friend Roger Rodas died in a fiery car crash in Santa Clarita, California, last Saturday, remnants from the charred 2005 Porsche Carrera GT they were traveling in were stolen — and two arrests have since been made.
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The theft occurred at 10 p.m. on Nov. 30 — six and a half hours after the sports car the "Fast & Furious" star was riding in crashed and was immediately engulfed in flames. The on-scene investigation was concluded and the car was loaded onto a flatbed tow truck to be transported to a secure location for further examination.
However, several cars followed the tow truck from the crash scene and, when the truck driver stopped at a red light, "A witness saw a male exit a vehicle that was following the tow truck," according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. "The male grabbed a piece of the wrecked Porsche off the tow truck bed. The male drove away with the stolen vehicle part."
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Jameson Witty, who is an 18-year-old from Tujunga, California, was the first arrested for the theft. He posted a photo of the the alleged stolen car part — a red T-top roof panel from the Porsche — online the next day, writing, "Piece of Paul walkers car, took it off a tow truck at a stop light. ... I got it for my buddy who was driving the car we were in, so that he could always pay respect to the guy that got him into cars." Police later recovered the roof panel from a residence in Canyon Country.
The second suspect — a 25-year-old Anthony Janow — was located out of state, but surrendered Tuesday when he and Witty appeared at the L.A. County courthouse in San Fernando.
Each man faces one felony count of grand theft of personal property, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. They will also be charged with misdemeanor counts of destroying evidence and resisting, obstructing, and delaying a peace officer. If convicted, a maximum sentence of four years and six months in county jail could be imposed for each person.
The next court date for the suspects is scheduled for Jan. 3.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the star's fatal car crash continues with the firefighter dispatch recording released. Three minutes after the 911 call, responders arrived on the scene and declared both passengers "DOA," according to the audio recording obtained by TMZ. A firefighter can be heard saying there were "two fatalities" and a request for an ambulance was canceled.
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Over the weekend, Walker and Rodas were remembered at a car club rally which took place near the scene of the accident. Thousands attended the event.
[This story was originally published Dec. 6, 2013, at 10:34 a.m. PT]