A Bugatti Chiron worth around three million euros was stolen on Wednesday, 28 October, in the area of Sveta Nedelja, and the vehicle has since been found in Austria. The 36-year-old Croatian national, who is the suspect, has been arrested and admitted to the theft, the Austrian police confirmed.
Mate Rimac posted a video on social media explaining how the thief managed to get into the car and drive off without much difficulty. He explained that he always leaves the keys in the cars, including the Chiron and the Nevera, because employees often use the vehicles for testing and relocation, so the keys are regularly available in the car. The campus has no fence, and the outdoor space is accessible to everyone, Rimac added, noting that the car was outside and the man simply walked in and drove it away.
According to Rimac, no one noticed the theft at first. He said that most of the time he does not know where the car is and would assume that one of his friends or colleagues had it. The alarm was only triggered when someone reported seeing an unknown person driving the expensive Chiron. The police were called immediately after the report, and at the same time, the vehicle's telemetry systems were activated, which send data on location, speed and condition at all times.
When he saw that the vehicle was heading towards Slovenia, Rimac decided to take matters into his own hands. He got into his Porsche 911, which had a full tank of fuel, floored the accelerator and chased after it, he recounted, adding that the thief had about an hour's head start. The police of Croatia, Slovenia and Austria joined the search. According to information from the Austrian police, a 36-year-old Croatian national was driving the expensive car, who after the theft travelled via Slovenia to Austria, entering through the Spielfeld border crossing.
The Bugatti continued its journey to Austria, where it was eventually located at a petrol station on the A9 motorway near the town of Seiersberg. The car was located on Wednesday shortly after 19:00, and traffic police found it at a petrol station on the Pyhrn motorway (A9) near Seiersberg in the Austrian state of Styria, where they arrested the man who was behind the wheel. According to unofficial information reported by the media, the final destination of the stolen Bugatti was supposed to be Germany. A photo of the stolen Bugatti during the police operation in Austria was also published.
The Austrian police confirmed that the suspect admitted to the theft during questioning. The police stated that officers arrested the 36-year-old Croatian national at the scene and that further investigation was taken over by theft investigators from the Styrian Provincial Criminal Office. Under an order from the Public Prosecutor's Office in Graz, a criminal complaint will be filed against the suspect, and the proceedings will continue while he remains on bail. The Austrian police also confirmed that the expensive car has been returned. How the theft of the three-million-euro vehicle occurred is not yet known.
Rimac did not hide his satisfaction with the speed of international cooperation between the police of Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. He highlighted that the Austrian investigators had done a 'fantastic job' and that they had been receiving data on the car's movement the whole time. He also said: 'I will not do that again. Do not test your luck', referring to leaving the keys in the vehicle. In the meantime, Rimac also published surveillance camera footage that recorded the theft of the expensive Bugatti, which had Zagreb registration plates.
