Buyers told vehicles bought at eastside warehouse were salvaged, police say they were stolen

HOUSTON - "Just like that, everything I worked so hard for for a year was crushed," said 18-year-old Jose Ochoa.

Ochoa worked two jobs to earn enough money to buy this truck.

"The guy said he's been in business a long time that he buys salvaged cars and he rebuilds them and puts them out there to sell," Ochoa said.

Jose found out about the truck from his uncle Pablo Ochoa.

He says he also bought a truck after seeing them advertised on Facebook

Like his nephew Jose says, he was told the trucks were salvaged.

When the cops showed up, both men learned the salvaged trucks they each paid $16,000 for were in reality stolen trucks.

Police say they are not alone.

The theft comes to light when the buyer tries to register the truck or have it inspected.

Because the trucks they bought were stolen, police confiscated them.

The man who sold them the trucks at an eastside warehouse in the 14000 block of Nimitz is nowhere to be found. The warehouse is empty.

If you bought one of the vehicles or have any information about this illegal operation call the Houston Police Department's Auto Theft Division.

To check the status of your vehicle, you can look up its vehicle identification number, or VIN, by clicking here.