A recovered theft vehicle gets basically the same branded title as a totally wrecked vehicle in the States.
Even if this ended differently, the car would be impounded for at least a few days while the police search for drugs, weapons, other stolen items and conduct their investigation as to where/how it was stolen, where the thief drove it, what they did at those locations, etc. So the owner is still without a vehicle for a week, and when they do get it back it’s worth significantly less with the newly branded title.
A recovered theft vehicle gets basically the same branded title as a totally wrecked vehicle in the States.
Even if this ended differently, the car would be impounded for at least a few days while the police search for drugs, weapons, other stolen items and conduct their investigation as to where/how it was stolen, where the thief drove it, what they did at those locations, etc. So the owner is still without a vehicle for a week, and when they do get it back it’s worth significantly less with the newly branded title.