- As if running a small business wasn’t hard enough as is.
Starting a new business can be a difficult experience. You have to figure out everything from staffing to payrolls, taxes, product supplies, and more.
You really don’t need someone breaking in and stealing your entire inventory.
But that’s precisely what happened at City Motors of Philadelphia. The car dealership had just opened on the last week of September, when burglars broke in on September 28.
They made off with nearly every car at the dealership. The criminals stole seven out of the 11 vehicles they had on sale.
Needless to say, that’s a devastating blow to the new business — particularly as the owner hadn’t yet been able to get full insurance for the stolen vehicles. This incident may have sounded the death knell for the dealership after having been open only for a few days.
“If we don’t recover the cars, we probably won’t survive it,” Nathan Kriegler, the dealership’s co-owner told ABC6.
“It could be the start and the end all in the same week.”
Keys on a Silver Platter
According to Kriegler, a group of people broke into the City Motor’s office on Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia during the night between September 24 and 25. Sadly, due to the newness of the business, they didn’t yet have a functioning security camera system.
As the burglars ransacked the office, they came across a real jackpot. They found the keys to seven of the dealership’s available vehicles — in addition to their titles.
What more is there to say? The thieves hopped behind the cars’ wheels, set the seat, adjusted the mirrors, and drove off.
It really must’ve been a large group of criminals, though, considering they were able to get away with seven whole cars. Yet, apparently, that wasn’t enough for them.
They had also tried hotwiring an eighth car but that attempt failed. The keys to that one must’ve been in a different drawer.
‘I Would Not Come to Philadelphia’
It would be easy to blame City Motors of asking to be robbed for not having the appropriate safety measures. But, as we said, the business was brand new and many things were still half-done.
Insurance is one of them. The dealership had insurance but as it turns out, it didn’t cover carjacking.
“We called our insurance company … Unfortunately, we only have liability insurance for the vehicles,” said Kriegler.
“So, if we don’t get the cars back, we have no coverage for the vehicles whatsoever.”
All hope may not be lost quite yet, though. By September 27, Philadelphia police had been able to recover three of the stolen vehicles.
It’s not enough, though. We weren’t able to confirm whether they’ve found any more of the cars since then.
Understandably, Kriegler is having second thoughts about whether he made the right move with opening the dealership in the first place. According to The Drive, the dealership has had five owners since 2015.
“I think if I had the choice all over, I would not come to Philadelphia. I think a lot of people are feeling that way,” said Kriegler.
A Night of Chaos
Police are currently investigating whether the car thefts are connected to the spree of looting and ransacking that plowed through Philadelphia the night between September 24 and 25. It’s definitely possible, considering the obviously large number of thieves and City Motor being in the Mayfair neighborhood where the looting happened.
According to ABC6, a horde of up to 100 people started moving through Philadelphia’s city center around 7:30 p.m. Over the next hours, they broke into multiple businesses, smashing storefronts and stealing products.
The list of looted businesses includes 18 liquor stores, an Apple store, multiple pharmacies, and several clothing stores.
Philadelphia police have so far arrested 52 people suspected of having been involved in the looting. At least in one case, the arrested individual has been charged with inciting the chaos on social media.
Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for why the mayhem happened. Did all these people just simultaneously lose their minds and go on a crime spree?
We’re sure Mr. Kriegler would like an explanation.