MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Martin County deputies are searching for an organized crime ring they said used an electronic device to steal a $75,000 Chevrolet Corvette.
Surveillance video recorded Dec. 15 at a Toyota dealership near Stuart showed the thief using a device to try and open the car.
When that didn't work, Chief Deputy John Budensiek said the crook broke a window and climbed inside. The man then used the device to start the car and drive away.
![Chief Deputy John Budensiek discusses on Dec. 21, 2023, the recent theft of a Chevrolet Corvette from a Stuart auto dealership.](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/943d546/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1192x670+0+0/resize/1192x670!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2F9b%2Fe4f398a04d8fb1b7cc5003a2f6aa%2Fbudensiek.jpg)
Budensiek said this is the first time they've caught something like this on camera in Martin County.
"Looking back at some of our other high-end cars that were stolen, this very well may have happened," Budensiek said. "We just didn't have a video of it taking place where we can see exactly how they did it. It's extremely alarming."
Budensiek said newer, high-end cars are likely easier to manipulate because of their technology.
He recommends putting an inexpensive tracker inside a vehicle because thieves can disable the OnStar GPS, which happened in this case.