‘Doofy’ American Metallica fan reunited with his car after leaving it in Toronto for four days

Classified ads website Craigslist has helped reunite an American teenager with his car, four days after losing it while attending a Metallica concert in Canada.

Gavin Strickland set out from his home in Syracuse, New York, and arrived in Toronto a few hours later, where he dutifully parked his car in an underground garage and hailed a cab to the gig venue down the road.

But Gavin’s predicament unfolded as the final power chords rang out from the Rogers Center later that evening, as it occurred to him he hadn’t a clue where he’d left the vehicle – his only means of transportation home.

After a strained phone call home on Monday morning to inform his parents of the calamity, Gavin seemed no closer to recovering the Nissan Versa Sedan that had brought him north of the border.

All he could remember was that the car was parked close to a Starbucks, a construction site, a bank and “a strange spiral outdoor sculpture”.

As it happens, those key identifying traits describe most of down-town Toronto.

After hearing their son’s plight, and realising he had spent the night traipsing around looking for the vehicle by foot, Gavin’s parents took pity and posted an advert on Craigslist, begging for help for their “doofy son”.

Fortunately enough, Madison Riddolls, a Craigslist user with a love of puzzles, found the listing and took it upon herself to track it down.

Riddolls enrolled her boyfriend on the hunt, and set out on a quest to tick off every Starbucks near a construction site until they found the crucial site.

Once she revealed the car’s location by emailing photos across to them, the Strickland family were once again able to rest in the knowledge that they would soon be reunited with their property.

Following a lengthy bus ride, Gavin eventually made it back to the car late on Thursday, July 20, clutching a map and awaiting a meeting with Riddolls, who had dutifully returned to meet him at the scene.

It might be some time before he decides to return to Canadian soil – at least until Metallica are back in town.