'I was just ecstatic': 1970s muscle car found abandoned in Selkirk less than a day after theft

Sheldon Werboski's blue 1970 Chevelle SS (pictured) was found abandoned on a back road in Selkirk less than a day after it was stolen from his driveway in Winnipeg. (Submitted: Sheldon Werboski)

A 1970 muscle car that was stolen from the driveway of a Winnipeg man was found abandoned on a back road in Selkirk less than a day after the theft.

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind for Sheldon Werboski.

"Probably yesterday was one of the biggest roller coaster rides for my emotions I've ever had. It was from down in the basement to an all-time high," he said.

As CTV News Winnipeg previously reported, Werboski discovered his blue 1970 Chevelle SS, which had been parked inside his 28-foot trailer, had been stolen off the driveway of his Bridgewood Drive home early Monday morning shortly after he went to work.

Surveillance video from his home shows a white van stopping in front of his house, hitching up the trailer and driving away at around 5:30 a.m.

Sheldon Werboski says surveillance video from his home shows his blue 1970 Chevelle SS, parked inside his trailer, being stolen from his driveway around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2022. (Source: Facebook/Kim Dee)

Werboski said in the following hours, images of his Chevelle and his trailer, along with the surveillance video of the theft, were shared on Facebook prompting a huge response in the community.

"My phone was just blowing up with people calling me and just wondering how things are going," he said. "People I didn't even know reached out with information or different things."

Eventually Werboski got a text from a friend in Selkirk, telling him he had found the car.

"Wow, that really sparked my attention. So I called them back right away," he said. "I was just ecstatic, like just a sigh of relief and just like a ton of bricks lifted off my shoulders and I could breathe again," he said.

He said his friend's wife had seen an RCMP car go down a back road, and he decided to go see what was going on – and there was the trailer, with the blue 1970 Chevelle SS safe and sound inside.

"I spoke with the RCMP right there on his phone," Werboski said, adding the officer told him they could either bring the trailer to an impound lot, or he could come and pick it up.

"I said, 'Well, I'm going to leave right now and come and get it. I really want to retrieve this thing and bring it home right away.'"

The car is now back home, tucked safely inside Werboski's garage. He said there is some damage to the trailer and some things are missing from it, but overall it ended in the best-case scenario.

"As long as I got the car back, because I would never ever be able to replace that car," he said.

Sheldon Werboski says his blue 1970 Chevelle SS, parked inside his trailer, was stolen from his driveway around 5:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2022. (Source: Facebook/Kim Dee)

The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed the car and trailer have been recovered. Police said the property crimes unit is investigating the theft. Werboski said he is hopeful somebody will be held responsible.

He said he's thankful for the efforts of the community members who shared the images of his car and made it possible for him to get it back.

"It's just fantastic. You know, getting messages from people you don't even know wanting to help out. So, it was just really good to be a part of that."