Investigators say a man and woman treated luxury dealerships across the Northeast like their personal showroom, allegedly stealing or trying to steal at least 20 vehicles worth more than $2.4 million in a yearlong spree. The pair did not rely on smash-and-grab tactics, but on charm, patience, and a key-fob trick that let them walk away from test drives and come back later to quietly drive off in six-figure trucks and SUVs. One suspect is now in custody, while the search for her partner is turning a once-local case into a sprawling tri-state investigation.
Authorities across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey say the same couple kept popping up on security footage, sales logs, and license plate readers as high-end rides vanished from lots. What started as a single dealership’s headache has grown into a coordinated probe tying together at least 20 targeted vehicles and a total loss figure repeatedly pegged at $2.4 m or $2.4 million.
How a “playful” test drive turned into a $2.4 million problem
The basic playbook, according to Investigators, was deceptively simple. The couple would show up together, well dressed and friendly, asking to test drive a pricey pickup or SUV at dealerships in Connecticut, New Yor, and New Jersey. While the salesperson focused on closing a sale, the woman, described in one account as flashing a “playful” smile, allegedly distracted staff long enough for her partner to pull off a key-fob swap. Instead of handing back the original fob, he would return a dead or cloned one, pocketing the real device so the pair could slip back onto the lot later and simply unlock and start the truck.
That quiet sleight of hand is at the center of what Jan and other investigators describe as a highly coordinated key-fob scheme. In one detailed breakdown, Stephen Rivers notes that Police ultimately linked 20 stolen vehicles worth over $2.4 m total to the same pattern, with the Suspects allegedly cloning or swapping fobs while posing as legitimate buyers. Another account from Authorities describes the woman deliberately engaging a salesperson while her partner handled the fob, a low-tech distraction that turned modern keyless systems into a liability.
The Old Saybrook arrest that cracked the case open
The break came in coastal Connecticut, where According to the Old Saybrook Police, officers there spent months piecing together surveillance footage, dealership records, and plate-reader hits after several high-end trucks vanished. That work led them to a Pennsylvania woman who, investigators say, matched the female suspect seen in multiple test drives. She was eventually tracked into New Jersey, where Jan reports she was arrested in Warren County as part of the multistate auto theft ring probe.
Once in custody, Pennsylvania woman was charged in Connecticut with four counts of larceny of a motor vehicle in the first degree, tied to seven trucks stolen from dealerships in Old Saybrook and Fairfield with a total value exceeding $2.4 million. Following that arrest, Old Saybrook police said they were contacted by eight departments in New Jersey and three in New York, all flagging similar thefts with a combined value exceeding $2.4 million. In New Jersey, She was held on $275,000 bond and later arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court, a sign that Connecticut intends to keep a tight grip on the prosecution.
A tri-state hunt, a missing partner, and a warning to dealers
Even with one suspect jailed, the story is not wrapped. Police uncovering the broader pattern say the male partner has not yet been identified publicly, and they believe the pair spent more than a year exploiting the same weakness at dealerships across the region. In total, Authorities believe at least 20 vehicles worth $2.4 million were stolen or targeted, a tally that lines up with what Investigators in multiple states have reported. A separate account of the same spree notes that a Man and Woman or Tried to Steal 20 Vehicles Worth $2.4 M or $2.4 Million across the Tri-state area.
For dealers, the case is a blunt reminder that the weakest link in a high-tech system is often human habit. This collaboration between departments in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey has already prompted some stores to tighten how they handle fobs during test drives, from logging serial numbers to keeping a second employee nearby whenever a vehicle leaves the lot. Police said the investigation now stretches across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, and they are still fielding calls from dealerships that recognize the couple’s faces. As one detailed breakdown of the scam notes, the investigation gained momentum once agencies compared notes, turning what looked like isolated thefts into a single, very expensive story about how a “playful” smile and a swapped key fob can cost dealers more than $2.4 million.
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