- The Arab, Alabama Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Ford dealership estimates it’s out $1.2 million after thieves took eight vehicles including several Dodge Challengers, a Ram TRX , a Bronco Raptor and 300 keys on Sunday morning.
- Police describe the crime as sophisticated after the thieves used computers to unlock the key safe and wipe the security cameras.
- Two of the vehicles have been recovered, but six are still missing, and dealer employees are still working to reprogram keys.
A dealership in Arab, Alabama, suffered an estimated loss of $1.2 million in new vehicles after a highly sophisticated overnight robbery, according to local police. The stolen inventory includes a brand new 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, one of the most sought-after models in recent months.
Adding insult to injury, 300 car keys and hours of crucial security camera footage were also taken, hindering efforts to apprehend the thieves.
Read: Houston Police Seize $1 Million In Stolen Cars From Chop Shops
North Country Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram and the connected North Country Ford dealerships were hit just after midnight on Sunday, April 7. In the robbery, a total of eight cars and trucks were taken, including a number of limited edition models, such as a 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, a 2024 Ram 1500 TRX, and a 2024 Ford Bronco Raptor.
The thieves’ means of entry into the dealership was old-fashioned, and involved simply throwing a rock through the building’s window, police told WHNT. From there, the job was anything but old-fashioned.
Once they were inside, the thieves managed to gain access to the building’s security cameras. Not only did they turn them off, they deleted hours of footage to reduce the amount of evidence they left behind.
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 that was stolen has an MSRP of $122,436, minus, of course, any markups.
Greg Anthony, the general manager of North Country Ford, said that the thieves plugged a computer into the dealership’s key safe to unlock it, and stole more than 300 keys. As of April 10, technicians and locksmiths were still working to replace and reprogram keys for all the vehicles.
“It seems like it was very organized and sophisticated,” said Arab Police Chief Shane Washburn. “I believe these guys, it’s not the first time they’ve had a burglary of this nature, so I think we had some people, like I said, some professional criminals.”
They Used A New Demon 170 As A Battering Ram!
Things got a little less sophisticated once the thieves were in the cars, though. The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon mentioned above was used to ram through a bay door to get out of the building. Despite that, the burglary was not noticed until the following morning.
Since Sunday, two of the vehicles have been recovered, but six of them are still missing. The crime has left Anthony feeling a little hopeless.
“It’s just a loss of income of being able to sell these cars, especially the limited production cars and you can take every measure you can, but a thief is a thief,” Anthony said. “They’re going to get a car regardless of what you do. Any measure you put in place they’re going to overcome them, just like our camera system and our key security system. Even cars inside the dealership. They’re brave, they don’t care. They’ll come inside and take anything they want of value,” the general manager of the dealership added.
