• Lynda Alsip

Lynda Alsip (Photo : http://i.dailymail.co.uk/)

A woman in California was given a Christmas present from the past; her 1967 Ford Mustang returned after 28 long years.

According to the Monterey County Herald, the forest green Mustang was stolen in 1986, but was recently found by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Mustang was then returned to the original owner, Lynda Alsip.

Like Us on Facebook

Alsip told the Herald while standing in the tow yard next to the Mustang that she "never thought" she would see the car again.

"It's like winning the lottery," Alsip told the Herald.

The Ford Mustang was Alsip's first car. She bought the Mustang at when she was 17 for the price of $800 with her dad's help.

However, one year after Alsip bought the Ford Mustang, the car was stolen outside her apartment in Salinas. She did not get a chance to install her "LYNDA67" personalized license plate.

In September, a man tried to register the Ford Mustang to his own name. However, the California Highway Patrol recovered the car instead. The man possessed the car for nearly 23 years.

According to Jaime Rios, an officer for CHP, the Ford Mustang had no files. An officer tried to dig information about the Ford Mustang and eventually discovered that it was stolen in 1986.

Chris Menchen, the officer who investigated the Ford Mustang, said that the man told him that he purchased the Ford Mustang from a storage. The CHP is still investigating whether the man knew the car was stolen.

Menchin contacted Alsip about the stolen Ford Mustang.