6 hellcats stole from a Kentucky dealership in under 45 seconds.
The thieves made off with six brand-new Hellcats—four from the showroom floor and two from the dealer’s lot—in just 40 seconds. Don Franklin Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership manager Adam Bryant told WKYT he believes the fast theft was an inside job:
“They came in through the rear garage door. They had some kind of idea of how our security system worked it looked like,” Bryant said.
Bryant believes it took at least seven people 40 seconds to drive off with all six Hellcats, each worth around $95,000.
“And they were gone. Once they tripped the alarm, it takes 60 seconds before it starts alerting. They were gone 20 seconds before the alarm started to go off. The response time of the police was like three minutes. It was really good,” Bryant said.
The dealer in question is ‘Don Franklin Somerset Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram’ located in Somerset, Kentucky. That’s about 90 minutes from Lexington or 50 minutes from the northern Tennessee border. The theft is a pretty big blow considering how little time it took to complete.
In an interview with WKYT News, the dealership’s manager stated that the thieves came in through a rear garage door and seemed to know how the security systems worked. The first four cars were easily driven out of the showroom and the remaining two were taken from an outside lot. Ironically, the Mopars in the showroom were the easiest to steal: All four had key sets conveniently located inside the cars. The keys for the Challengers outside were taken from the dealership’s lock box. Each car was worth around $95,000.
“Once they tripped the alarm, it takes 60 seconds before it starts alerting. They were gone 20 seconds before the alarm started to go off. The response time of the police was like three minutes. It was really good,” Bryant told WKTY News.
As of this writing, five of the six Challengers have been recovered. One unlucky driver ran out of gas just 25 miles from the dealership, while another car was found 45 miles west of Somerset. The others made it further, with one found just south of Bowling Green, another made it to Tennessee and the fifth made it all the way to Alabama. So far just one of the muscle cars is a total loss. Two were recovered without damages, and the condition of the other two are unknown. The sixth Challenger is still missing, but despite its GPS being damaged by the thief, authorities have an idea of its whereabouts.
While the Dodge Challenger isn’t the most stolen vehicle in the United States (the Chevrolet pickup takes the honors for 2022, followed by the Ford F-150), they are one of the most vulnerable to theft, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Hot cars make hot targets, and with Dodge’s discontinuation of the Hemi starting this year, the demand for the internal combustion V-8 powered Mopars will only increase. Headlines like “Why Hellcats are so Easy to Steal” appearing across the internet, along with countless stolen Dodge alerts across the U.S., likely doesn’t help curb the appeal.
To prevent thefts, the National Insurance Crime Bureau encourages all vehicle owners to always lock doors, close windows completely, and park in well-lit areas. If you feel your car is at high-risk for theft, additional measures can be taken, such as adding tracking devices, immobilizers, and brake and wheel locks, or activating an alarm system if your vehicle doesn’t already come equipped with a factory-installed option.
“Really just heartbreaking. It’s $600,000 worth of cars gone. You know, that’s a lot of money. A pretty big deal,” said general manager Adam Bryant to local news network WKYT. “They broke out a back window, got into the building, found the keys to all six vehicles, and drove them off the lot in a matter of minutes,” he continued.
According to the manager, a group of seven individuals were able to make off with all six Hellcats in just 40 seconds. “And they were gone. Once they tripped the alarm, it takes 60 seconds before it starts alerting. They were gone 20 seconds before the alarm started to go off. The response time of the police was like three minutes. It was really good,” Bryant added.
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