Turo is an online or in-app car rental service allowing private vehicle owners to list cars for rent. (Image courtesy of Turo.com)
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Philadelphia woman who, police say, refused to return a vehicle rented out of Whitpain Township via the Turo app.
Erica Aleeah Chapman, 30, of the 6300 block of Old York Road in Philadelphia, is wanted by police for a felony charge after Whitpain police were dispatched to take a statement from a township man who used an app called Turo to rent out his personal vehicle.
Police said that on Tuesday, Dec. 3, they were dispatched to the home of a Whitpain Township resident who’d rented out his 2019 Kia Forte with the online service. He said that, on Nov. 28, 2024, his vehicle was rented by Chapman, who picked up the car at 8:30 a.m., according to a criminal complaint. The car was to be returned on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m., per the rental agreement with Turo, police said.
When the car was not returned, police said the man attempted to reach Chapman, who messaged back (through the app), asking for an extension on the rental, police said. According to the complaint, the agreement was extended to 4 p.m. so that “Chapman could make arrangements to get the vehicle back to him.”
Police said that the last contact the man had with Chapman was around 11:13 p.m. on Dec. 1, when he asked her to extend the rental further as the car had still not been returned. The man continued to attempt to reach Chapman, but she failed to respond, said the criminal complaint. Police said they advised the man to continue working with Turo’s vehicle recovery team.
According to the criminal complaint, police again spoke with the man on Dec. 12 around 9 p.m., and he said he’d written a demand to return the rental vehicle to Chapman’s mailing address via certified mail. The man provided police with a receipt of the letter having been mailed on Dec. 4 as proof of delivery. No response had been received, and no attempt was made to return the car, police said.
Police said that the unreturned car was listed as stolen and subsequently recovered by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Chapman is charged one felony count of theft of a leased property. A warrant was issued on Jan. 1, 2025. No further action has been taken by police or the courts at this time.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
