Ram officials said the "Bucking Hemi" mechanical bull wasn't actually stolen as initially reported. The Stellantis brand on Thursday, Aug. 14, said the mechanical bull, which had disappeared after this year's Roadkill Nights in Pontiac, is back home.

Ram’s not-so-stolen "Bucking Hemi" appears to have simply been on a road trip.

The Stellantis brand is pointing the finger at a contractor’s mistake for the disappearance of the cover for the mechanical bull ride following this year’s Roadkill Nights legal street drag racing event in Pontiac, Michigan. The situation had led to a frustrated response from the Oakland County's sheriff, unhappy at what he described as a waste of investigative time.

“After 67 hours of uncertainty and a 1,200-mile roundtrip journey to and from North Carolina, Bucking Hemi has returned. It was mistakenly taken by one of the show contactors, who realized the error after media coverage brought it to their attention,” according to a company statement Thursday, Aug. 14.

Ram officials had taken to social media two days earlier, saying the Bucking Hemi V8 had been stolen and asking for anyone with information to reach out:

“Last seen: Roadkill Nights in SE Michigan on 8/9/2025 at 9:45 PM ET.”

That prompted an outpouring of colorful responses from the brand’s followers.

In a news release, the company had said the discovery of the missing $34,000 covering for its mechanical bull ― part of a marketing campaign for the return of the famed Hemi V8 engines ― was made as the show was being torn down.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, however, said deputies later determined no theft had occurred, and officials would be looking at whether charges might be warranted related to the filing of the police report.

“The company never actually lost the bull,” Bouchard had said in a news release. “I find this to be very frustrating and a tremendous waste of valuable investigative time."

Sheriff's office spokesman Stephen Huber said on Friday, Aug. 15, that the sheriff has said the case remains under investigation.

In their statement about recovering the Bucking Hemi, company officials singled out the sheriff’s office for praise:

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who rallied behind us and worked to bring Ram’s Bucking Hemi home. Notably, we are extremely grateful and sincerely appreciate the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office’s assistance in this matter.”

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ram’s missing 'Bucking Hemi' returns after contractor mix-up, not stolen

Reporting by Eric D. Lawrence and Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

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