No less than seven vehicles have been stolen from a used car dealership in Philadelphia that has been open for less than a week. The dealership’s owner says the business probably won’t be able to survive the thefts unless police are able to track down all of the stolen cars.
The thefts happened on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning last week when a group broke into the facility and located the owner’s office. They were able to find the keys of seven of the 11 cars parked on the lot and stole them. They also attempted to hotwire a Kia Sorento but were unsuccessful.
It’s not just the vehicles themselves that were stolen but also their titles. According to City Motors of Philadelphia co-owned Nathan Kriegler, the dealership has limited security measures given how new it is and does not yet have security cameras. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he told 6ABC Philadelphia that the dealership only has liability insurance for the vehicles, meaning the insurer won’t pay them out after the thefts.
Read: Thief Steals Seven Cars From Maryland Dealership In One Night
“If we don’t recover the cars, we probably won’t survive it,” Kriegler said. “It could be the start and the end all in the same week. We called our insurance company today, and unfortunately, we only have liability insurance for the vehicles. So, if we don’t get the cars back, we have no coverage for the vehicles whatsoever.”
While the lack of security cameras will make tracking down the stolen vehicles more difficult, local authorities had found three of them by Wednesday afternoon last week. Police are investigating whether the thefts are related to a host of lootings that took place across the city last Tuesday night.
“I think if I had the choice all over, I would not come to Philadelphia,” Kriegler added. “I think a lot of people are feeling that way.”
