GRAND THEFT AUTO: Philadelphia car dealership loses most of its vehicles to thieves less than a week after opening

10/04/2023 / By Ramon Tomey

A car dealership in Philadelphia has already lost most of its vehicles less than a week after it opened.

City Motors, located in the Mayfair neighborhood in the City of Brotherly Love, is on the brink of closing for good just days after opening. This is because thieves made off with several vehicles it was selling on the early morning of Sept. 27, according to WPVI 6.

The outlet reported that a group of criminals broke into the dealership’s office on Frankford Avenue during the late hours of the previous day and ransacked the premises. The thieves stole the keys to seven of the 11 cars on the lot and made off with them – including the vehicles’ titles. They also broke into an eighth car and attempted to hot-wire it, but in vain.

“If we don’t recover the cars, we probably won’t survive it. It could be the start and the end [of the business] all in the same week,” said City Motors co-owner Nathan Kriegler.

“We called our insurance company and unfortunately, we only have liability insurance for the vehicles. So if we don’t get the cars back, we have no coverage for the vehicles whatsoever.”

WPVI 6 said police are investigating the break-in and thefts at City Motors. Security camera footage was unavailable, given that the business was so new – the security cameras were supposed to be installed on Sept. 27. Three of the stolen vehicles were later tracked down, with investigators probing if the incident is connected to a string of looting across Philadelphia last Sept. 25.

Madison Wittenberg, who handles social media for the company, questioned the thefts: “I mean, what’s the point? What is the point of this? Retaliation against something?”

For his part, Kriegler is unsure whether opening City Motors in Mayfair is the right decision. He also called on officials in Philadelphia to crack down on crime. The City of Brotherly Love has seen an increase in crime under its District Attorney (DA) Larry Krasner. (Related: Gallup poll: Los Angeles among five cities deemed unsafe to live in or visit.)

“I think if I had the choice all over, I would not come to Philadelphia,” said the business owner. “I think a lot of people are feeling that way.”

Nothing “brotherly” in crime-infested Philly

Jesse James of Not The Bee, a sister site of the Babylon Bee, put in his two cents on the issue. He predicted that City Motors won’t last in Philadelphia, advising: “Maybe it’s best they close up shop. It’s only going to get worse.”

Meanwhile, CBS News reported that 72 people have been charged in relation to civil unrest and the looting of stores across the city. Swarms of thieves looted businesses in the City of Brotherly Love on the evening of Sept. 26 – concurrent with the break-in at City Motors.

Krasner and other city officials gave an update on Oct. 2 regarding the chaos in the city. Assistant DA Clint Orem said 67 adults and five minors were arrested and charged, with burglary and theft being the most common charges. Twenty-one-year-old Dayjia “Meatball” Blackwell, who played a central role in the looting spree, was charged with multiple offenses and taken into custody.

“A robbery charge, a burglary charge, a theft charge, receiving stolen property – whatever we can possibly apply to this situation, we’re going to apply it,” said John Stanford, the city’s acting police commissioner. “Philadelphia is not going to be the place that you can come and do this type of behavior.”

According to CBS News, the chaos began hours after a judge dismissed all charges against former police officer Mark Dial. The erstwhile member of the Philadelphia Police Department shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry in August, leading to the latter’s death. Law enforcement has clarified, however, that the rioters weren’t connected to the peaceful protesters who gathered that day to protest the ruling.

“The DA and the courts need to make sure these people pay a price for what they did, said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

Visit Collapse.news for more stories about crime in the City of Brotherly Love.

Watch this Russia Today report about the mass looting that happened in Philadelphia on the same night as the theft at City Motors.

This video is from the andreash channel on Brighteon.com.