What was supposed to be a normal business trip turned into a terrifying ordeal when a man was wrongfully arrested after Hertz — one of the world’s largest car rental companies — reported the vehicle he legally rented and paid for as stolen.
According to reports, the man had rented a car through Hertz for a week-long trip. He paid the full rental amount upfront, signed all the required paperwork, and even purchased extra insurance for peace of mind. But days later, while driving through town, he suddenly found himself surrounded by flashing police lights.
“I was completely confused,” he said in a statement. “The officers told me to get out of the car with my hands up. I thought they had the wrong person.”
Police informed him that the car he was driving had been reported stolen by Hertz, even though his contract and payment were completely valid. Despite showing proof of his rental agreement on his phone, he was still handcuffed, searched, and taken to jail — spending several hours behind bars before being released.
This case isn’t isolated. Over the past few years, hundreds of Hertz customers have come forward with similar stories — claiming they were falsely accused of theft due to the company’s internal system errors and delayed record updates. In many cases, customers extended their rentals or returned vehicles late, but Hertz allegedly failed to properly update the system, marking the cars as stolen instead.
Some victims even spent days or weeks in jail, lost their jobs, or faced lasting damage to their criminal records. Legal experts say such mistakes can be devastating, as a “stolen vehicle” charge automatically escalates the situation to a felony-level arrest.
Following public outrage and multiple lawsuits, Hertz acknowledged that it had filed hundreds of false theft reports between 2015 and 2020, affecting innocent customers nationwide. The company later agreed to a $168 million settlement to resolve these wrongful arrest claims — though many victims say the emotional toll can never truly be repaired.
“I missed my son’s birthday because I was sitting in a jail cell for something I didn’t do,” said another affected customer. “All because I rented a car the right way.”
Hertz claims it has since updated its policies and systems to prevent such incidents in the future, but critics say the damage to the company’s reputation — and to public trust — may take years to rebuild.
For now, this story serves as a stark reminder: even major corporations can make costly mistakes, and customers should always keep digital copies of receipts, contracts, and communications when renting vehicles.
As for the man in this case, he says he’s grateful to have been released but remains shaken. “I’ll never rent from them again,” he said. “When a simple trip turns into handcuffs, something is seriously wrong.”
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