Maybe I'm read that the wrong way: "He had been driving a Hertz rental car that was reported as stolen." I took it that he rented the car and when it was never returned, it was reported stolen.
Crappy writing/editing.
Your verdict of “Crappy writing” is indisputable. Whether the car was stolen by the “winner” or just reported as such when he failed to bring back it’s charred remains can’t be discerned due to “journalism”.