Man who had car taken left holding bill

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A thief stole a man's his car and left a trail of damage behind. Now the victim is being forced to foot the bill after Tuesday's wild police chase in the Tonawandas.

Nolin Jackson is pressing charges against 55-year-old Jacob Bell. Jackson says Bell stole his Kia SUV and totaled it after leading police on a chase from the City of Tonawanda through the town.

"There's not one part of that car that didn't seem to be damaged in some way shape or form," Jackson said. "The amount of damage to that car is just unbelievable - how somebody could do that."

Police say Bell drove through front yards, hit a stop sign and slammed head-on into a brand new city police cruiser. Police say Jackson is civilly responsible for his property, and he'll have to pay for the damage.

"He took the car and I had no part in what he did, so I don't know how I'm going to be held liable for damage caused by somebody else," Jackson said. "I understand it's my vehicle, but once again I had nothing to do with it, other than the fact that it was my vehicle."

Jackson says the car was stolen from a Buffalo auto repair shop. Police say it had dealer plates attached to it, which leaves them looking for answers to some big questions.

City of Tonawanda Police Capt. Michael Rogers said, "I would believe there's more to this story."

The plates were traced back to Mancini's on Chandler Street in Buffalo.

"If the vehicle was truly stolen out of the repair shop lot, this thief would have had to fix a flat tire, affix a dealer tag to it and have the keys and the remote starter for it," Capt. Rogers explained.

Police would not speculate if this was an inside job and no one from Mancini's would speak to News 4 on camera. However, we were told they have never seen Bell before.

Jackson said, "I just hope that I get the justice I deserve and in the end he'll be the one responsible."

Buffalo Police are investigating the theft of Jackson's SUV. Depending on what they find, Bell could face even more charges.

News 4 legal analyst Terry Conners says it's unlikely Jackson could be held responsible since permission was never granted for Bell to drive Jackson's car.