Guy Fieri is a guy who likes to talk. During his time as host on the Food Network, he traveled around the country in search of the best food in the most random locations, and the job brought him into contact with a lot of people who had to be put at ease with a stranger in their kitchens; Fieri did just that. But his television job didn’t prepare him for having to testify in court against the person who stole his $200,000 Lambourghini in 2011.
“For me, as a guy who talks on TV all the time, I was surprised that it was that short; I just wanted to keep it straight and to the point, let’s wrap this up,” Fieri said.
The car was taken from a dealership two years ago while undergoing maintenance; authorities say the thief, 19-year old Max Wade, rappelled down through a window like something in a movie and drove the car right out. Later, he was gutsy enough to drive it around town, and Fieri’s friends reported seeing the luxury sports car out and about.
“We would get calls all the time, and I mean all the time,” Fieri said. “I’d have friends calling me saying, ‘Listen, I just saw your car on the freeway,’ and I’m like, believe it or not there is more than one yellow convertible Lamborghini in Northern California…well, to come find out that he was driving it. Brave kid.”
Wade is also accused of the attempted murder of a girl and her boyfriend; 19-year old Eva Dedier was allegedly the object of Wade’s affection and the one he was trying to impress by stealing the car. When she started dating someone else, Wade became jealous and reportedly rode up beside the couple in their vehicle and fired shots at them. Neither teen was injured, but their description of the shooter–and his motorcycle helmet–led police to Wade and a warehouse he had rented, which contained the bike, the Lamborghini, and the gun.
“If they hadn’t ducked … we would have had two dead teenagers,” Deputy District Attorney Yvette Martinez said. “There is no reasonable doubt. He’s guilty of all the crimes.”
Image: Wikimedia Commons
