Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day seeks help finding 1962 Chevy stolen in Costa Mesa

Billie Joe Armstrong, front man of the band Green Day, went to social media requesting the public’s help locating a 1962 Chevrolet Nova II reportedly stolen from a Costa Mesa automotive business Friday night or early Saturday morning, police reported.

Costa Mesa Police spokesman Lt. Ed Everett said Monday a call came into the station shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday from the owner of an automotive business on the 1100 block of Victoria Street reporting the white, two-door vehicle with the license plate number BPN888, along with two electric guitars and an amp, stolen during a commercial burglary.

Everett said it is believed the business owner had been given the vehicle by Armstrong or another member of Green Day, though his affiliation with the band is unclear. Described by police as having a leopard-print interior, the vehicle was inside the structure at the time of the burglary.

The guitars stolen — a burnt orange Aria Pro II V and a champagne colored Roland G-707 — are both electric. The approximate value of the stolen items is estimated at $48,000, Everett reported. Although the incident is still under investigation, police said a roll up door was damaged in the commission of the burglary.

According to a tweet posted by Armstrong Saturday morning for his more than 1.1 million followers, the stolen vehicle “is near and dear to our hearts and has been in the GD family for over 30 years.” The singer urged anyone who may have information on the incident to call the Costa Mesa Police Department. As of Monday afternoon, the tweet had been read by more than 3,700 people and shared some 2,000 times.

Armstrong shared more details on Instagram Live, explaining he purchased the car in 1993 from a friend and had fixed it up, replaced engines multiple times and even crashed it. He said it has remained within his personal circle of friends and family members ever since. In the post, he directly appealed to whoever took the car.

“I don’t want anyone to go to jail,” he said. “Just drop it off — and if you do get caught, I’ll bail you out. I just want my car back.”

Everett said the connection between the burglary and the famous ’90s rock band was made sometime over the weekend, after Armstrong’s post went public. Anyone with information on the vehicle or the burglary is asked to call Det. Joe Lopez at (714) 754-4873.

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