MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — Three high-end vehicles were stolen from the BMW of Middleburg Heights dealership over the weekend.
According to Middleburg Heights Police, officers were dispatched to the BMW dealership at 6976 Pearl Road just after 7 a.m. on Saturday for a report of a breaking and entering. Upon arriving, an officer spoke with a crew member, who stated that he only needed to disarm the fire alarm and not the entry alarm upon entering through the front door.
The employee didn't initially notice this as odd, but later found that another employee's office had been gone through, with paperwork thrown around the office and cabinets open, in addition to a Honda key fob laying on the ground. The employee proceeded to go to the service garage door, which had been the point of entry for other recent break-ins. The employee noticed a broken window and contacted the police.
Upon arriving, the dealership's general manager was able to immediately point out three vehicles that were missing. Officers were also able to view security camera footage that showed a young male wearing dark clothing and gloves enter the building at 2:20 a.m., exit with keys and then enter a vehicle as two of his associates enter two other vehicles. The trio left the lot at 2:55 a.m. in three separate vehicles.
The three missing vehicles and their values are as follows:
- Silver 2019 Audi Q8 ($49,100)
- Red 2020 BMW X3 ($60,000)
- Grey 2020 Mercedes-Benz AMG ($76,500)
"Yeah, these are very expensive vehicles," says Detective Lt. Randy Cowie of the Middleburg Heights Police Department. "I believe this is the second one (robbery) at that same dealership.
The general manager is working with BMW tracking support and Mercedes-Benz to locate the vehicles. As of 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, the BMW tracking had been disabled.
Since December, 3News has covered at least seven different auto thefts at car dealerships across Northeast Ohio -- with at least 37 luxury vehicles taken right off the lot. Some of those 37 vehicles have been recovered by police, but others haven't been found.
"We certainly are keeping a better eye on our dealerships," Cowie adds. "All the dealerships are aware of these things going on."
Here is a timeline on some of those dealer theft incidents:
- February 6 - Multiple cars stolen from Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Willoughby
- January 30 - Spitzer Motor City in Parma reports thefts twice over the course of two weeks
- January 14 - 5 high end vehicles stolen from Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, including a truck owned by Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson
- January 5 - 3 vehicles stolen from Mercedes-Benz of Akron
- January 3 - A total of 9 luxury vehicles were stolen from Alfa Romeo of Strongsville
- December 20 - 3 luxury vehicles were stolen from Junction Auto Family dealership in Munson
Middleburg Heights police say it's too early in their investigation to determine if Saturday's theft is connected to any others.