TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A driver crashed a NT$7.58-million (US$269,000) Maserati bearing a rare license plate in Taipei during the early morning hours, fled the scene, and asked friends to take the fall for him, reports said Friday (Dec. 25).

The driver of the turquoise Maserati GranTurismo made an illegal left turn, failing to notice the median in the middle of the road. The vehicle jumped the median and only came to a full stop after hitting a lamppost, the Liberty Times reported.

When police showed up and began investigating the scene, they could not locate the driver. Then, a man appeared and told them he had been driving the Italian sports car. However, because his answers to officers’ questions did not match camera footage, the investigators told him lying could result in a three-year prison sentence.

The man then admitted a friend had asked him to take the fall.

Police discovered that the car was owned by a woman. They suspect her 25-year-old son was the driver and that he might have run off because he had been drinking, reports said.

Netizens noted that the car’s license plate, which starts with the letters “VVV” for victory, is much rarer to see in Taiwan than the Maserati itself. A similar plate fetched NT$30,000 at an auction in October, according to the Liberty Times.