You’re a McLaren owner convinced your supercar is safe, when an alert pops up on your phone. According to a viral TikTok video, American CJ Venuto says he later spotted his car on a flatbed tow truck and began chasing it on the highway, watching the location provided by the vehicle’s tracking system.
Overlay text reads: “They stole it,” then “We tracked it down.” In the caption of his post, CJ Venuto adds: “Stolen McLaren recovered thanks to trackers.” The clip has already racked up more than 93,300 views, but it lasts only a few seconds and leaves many questions unresolved, starting with the one that dominates the comments: was this McLaren actually stolen, or was it simply repossessed for nonpayment?
The McLaren Tracked on the Highway Using a GPS Tracker
In the video posted by CJ Venuto (@cjvenuto), you can see the orange supercar mounted on the back of a flatbed truck on a American interstate. The owner films from the cabin of the vehicle following behind, while the on-screen texts read “They stole it” and then “We tracked it down.” The caption “Stolen McLaren recovered thanks to trackers” implies that the onboard tracking system, or a GPS tracker added, allowed a very precise location of the car.
The sequence, however, stops there. The video does not show how the car was taken, who was driving the truck, or how the story ends. No details are provided on that point. We also don’t know which tracking system was used, nor whether it’s an original McLaren feature or an aftermarket device, again with no specifics given. In the comments, some viewers focus on the car’s condition, with one commenter noting: “It looks like someone tried to strip those wheels.” And the discussion quickly veers toward another hypothesis.
“Stolen or Repossessed for Nonpayment?” What We Know… and What We Don’t
Under the video, the first comment sums up the general doubt: “Stolen or repossessed for nonpayment?” Another cuts to the point: “Seizure. They’re broke.” A third chimes in: “100% repossessed for nonpayment,” while another mocks: “Haha that’s a repo guy, clearly.” For many, spotting a luxury car on a flatbed evokes a “repo,” the American term for a vehicle repossessed by a financing company after missed payments. CJ Venuto responds to one of these messages with a cryptic line: “The repo patriots no longer cover the gap.” A different user asks outright: “Stolen or repossessed?” underscoring that the video fuels speculation more than certainty.
A commenter who regularly hauls luxury cars offers another take: “Buddy, I move this kind of stuff all the time. We call it ‘screamers.’ BMWs. Benzes. And other luxury brands whose alarms go off at the slightest bump or jolt on the road. Not a seizure when it’s on a carrier.” For him, simply seeing the car on a truck proves nothing. Others, like the commenter noting potential wheel tampering, question whether this could be the start of a theft attempt. With the information available, it’s impossible to determine how the McLaren ended up there, or whether it was actually stolen or lawfully recovered by a third party. The outlet that broke the story says it reached out to CJ Venuto via TikTok direct message, but has not yet received a reply. In the meantime, this case underscores a single point: a tracking system can show where a car is in real time, but the recovery still rests with the police and insurers. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actually recommends that in the event of a stolen car, you file a police report immediately with the license plate, VIN, make, model, and color, then contact your insurer, and even if the tracker displays the vehicle’s position, let law enforcement intervene rather than trying to pursue on the highway yourself.
