‘Vette thief dies in getaway crash

A collector car theft ended in tragedy, at least for the thief, over the weekend when a crook made off with a 1969 Corvette, then crashed the car and killed himself.

Joseph Richard Matassa, 22, of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania ran the vintage 'Vette into a retaining wall in Plum early Saturday and died at the scene, according to Plum police.

Police said Matassa drove the car into a retaining wall at just short of 1 a.m. about seven miles from where it was stolen. The owners were notified at about 3:30 a.m. and were apparently unaware the car had been taken.