But this story has a better ending than most…
Car theft is a huge problem in the US and elsewhere, with many thieves targeting dealerships in the middle of the night. One of these vehicle heists played out in real time at a Chicago area Infiniti dealership. Not only did the suspects get away with a red C8 Corvette, they also took the key safe with them.
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Instead of hotwiring the C8 Corvette, the thieves used a device that’s intended for locksmiths. We’ve seen such devices in action many times, and even though they’re expensive, the groups which are pulling off these crimes are obviously well-funded and ready to take whatever they want.
The dealership is part of the Zeigler Auto Group, which according to spokeswoman Karianne Thomas has been targeted constantly by criminals. "It's an ongoing and nightly problem we're trying to prevent," Thomas told a local reporter. In other words, these car theft rings view dealerships as easy pickings, so they’re going after the golden goose as often as they like. In fact, Thomas says thieves have swiped over a dozen new and used cars from Zeigler dealerships since the beginning of January.
Surveillance video shows the thieves dragging the rather large and obviously heavy key safe across the showroom floor. The later loaded it into a vehicle, allowing them to take their time breaking in. That meant they could return later to take whatever car at the dealership they want.
Fortunately, an off-duty police officer working as security for the dealership spotted the suspects when they returned a few nights later. Riding in a while Audi crossover, they activated the key fob on one of the cars in the lot. That off-duty officer was able to get the license plate on the Audi, but we’re willing to bet it’s stolen, so that likely won’t result in any arrests.
Out of seven cars recently stolen from the one Infiniti dealership in the past few weeks, six have been recovered. However, those vehicles were in bad shape, so they’re being used to commit other crimes, are joyridden hard, have been stripped for parts, or maybe all three.
