Stolen car, 300-year-old cello recovered in Glendale

Jan. 22, 2016 4:59 PM PT

A stolen car containing a 300-year-old cello was recovered Thursday after Glendale residents noticed it had been parked in their neighborhood for a long period of time, and called police.

Officers responded to the 700 block of Glenvista Drive, where they ran the license plate number of the 2007 Acura TL and discovered it had been stolen on Nov. 1 from the Embassy Suites Hotel parking lot, located at 800 N. Central Ave. in Glendale, said Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

After looking through the car, the owner told police nothing was missing, but the front bumper had been damaged.

The cello, a valuable family heirloom, was stored in the trunk.

Crime Stoppers in November had offered a $1,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of the car.

It’s unclear if anyone will get the reward money.

The investigation is ongoing.

Alene Tchekmedyian

Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, focusing on accountability stories and writing about failures by officials to comply with transparency laws. Before joining The Times in 2016, she reported on crime and policing for the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader.