Green Day Singer’s Stolen ’62 Chevy Nova Found: ‘Thank God It’s All in One Piece’

Billie Joe Armstrong’s stolen ‘62 Chevy Nova has been found seemingly unscathed in Southern California — leading the Green Day singer to share a celebratory selfie and thank you message with his millions of Instagram followers Wednesday.

The beloved classic car that Armstrong called “near and dear” to his punk band’s “family” for three decades was recovered in an unincorporated area of Orange County Tuesday night, more than 10 miles from where it was stolen sometime between last Friday afternoon and Saturday morning from a commercial address in Costa Mesa, California, police said.

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“False alarm.. turns out I forgot where I parked it… KIDDING! Truth is the person that stole it left it parked. Joy ride? Maybe.. who knows. We live in desperate times,” Armstrong wrote in his Instagram message confirming the recovery.  “Thank god It’s all in one piece. No damage. Thank you thank you to everyone that searched for my Chevy. Love you all.”

In earlier posts on his Twitter and Instagram accounts Saturday, Armstrong asked for help tracking down the lovingly restored ride.


“My car was STOLEN 1962 Chevy II. This car is near and dear to all our hearts and has been in the GD family for over 30 years. Please send any sighting, tips or info to the Costa Mesa police,” he wrote. “Please re-post, & find this car!!”

The Costa Mesa Police Department said on Twitter that the car was found “abandoned” late Tuesday after a detective “acting on tips from the public” asked the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to look for the car in the El Modena section of the City of Orange.

Investigators said the two electric guitars and amplifier that also were stolen during the burglary on the 1100 block of Victoria Street in Costa Mesa were still missing Wednesday.

“No arrests have been made in this incident and no other items that were stolen have been recovered,” police said.

Anyone with information on the incident was asked to call Costa Mesa Police Det. Joe Lopez at (714) 754-4873.