An expensive Rolls Royce was stolen from a New Yorker: he tracked it down and took it back

Robbers broke into a fashionable Staten Island home, stole car keys, and drove off in a $400 convertible Rolls-Royce. But the owner of the house beat the thieves at their own game, reports New York Post.

The scammers threw a rock through the ground floor window of an elite home in Lighthouse Hill around 4 a.m. on June 12 and then stole the keys to the house.

The owner of the house, 38-year-old John, woke up from the alarm. He caught a glimpse of the thugs rushing off in his 2017 Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible sedan.

“I was downstairs in a few seconds when they pulled out of the driveway,” said John, who lives near St. George Road and Lighthouse Avenue.

After making sure his family was safe, the owner of the house logged into the computer. He used the luxury ride's built-in tracking device to locate the car in real time. At that moment, the scammers were driving towards New Jersey.

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He then activated a remote switch to block the car's ignition on the computer. Thus, he detained the thieves in Newark, New Jersey.

“They tried to start the car again, but they couldn’t because I turned it off,” John said.

He then pointed to the specific block where the thieves left the car. The owner is shocked by this incident.

“Of course my family is a little nervous after everything that has happened,” he said.

These thieves are suspected in a series of recent break-ins and car thefts in affluent areas of Staten Island.

According to the police, in all cases the criminals stole the keys from elite houses. And they stole or tried to steal cars parked nearby.

Footage from the June 20 scene shows two thieves throwing a stone at the back glass door of a house on Benedict Road and Callan Avenue before snatching the car keys.

But a local resident started screaming and the thieves ran away empty-handed, police said.

John suspects that the bandits attacked him when they saw an expensive car and keys through the window of his house.

“The thieves must have seen the key because of where it lay. That is why they broke the window,” suggested the owner of the car.

This year, the number of car thefts in Staten Island has increased by 114%. And compared to last month - by 61% throughout the city.

Law enforcement officials have previously referred to a gang of thieves based in Newark. They have been known to use real estate websites to find the most expensive homes on Staten Island in order to steal luxury cars.