Search This Blog

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

NYPD Thief drives away in Maserati as owner stands nearby in Times Square


A fast-and-furious thief slipped into a parked Maserati sports coupe in Times Square and zoomed away while its owner stood nearby, cluelessly talking to a friend, police said.

Chadwick Lange pulled up at the intersection of 47th St. and Broadway around 4:40 a.m. Sunday and hopped out to meet a buddy, police said.

“He sees his friend, so he pulls over to talk to him,” one police source said.

Lange, 43, a big-shot real estate broker from Florida who recently moved to the city, left the keys in the ignition of the 2008 black GranTurismo — and didn’t even bother to turn off the engine, police said.

"He puts the car in park but doesn't take the keys out," the source said. "His friend is there; he starts talking to him while these two guys come up to him."

Those two men posed as passing gawkers but turned out to be robbers who spotted an easy mark and quickly crafted a clever ruse to pull off the theft. They politely asked Lange if they could snap photos of the ride, which has a sticker price in the neighborhood of $150,000.

"He lets the guys take some photos," the source said. "He didn't know they were going to steal it."

After the duo took a few shots, Lange continued chatting up his pal — and one of the men sneakily jumped into the driver's seat and sped away, police said.

The other faux photographer ran down the block, chasing the car.

"He starts running south on Broadway and catches up to the car as it’s turning the corner," the source added.

The driver briefly halted the car as the second suspect dipped into the passenger seat as the driver made a right turn onto W. 47th St., heading toward Eighth Avenue — and out of sight, cops said.

Reached by phone on Monday, Lange declined to discuss the incident, citing an ongoing police and insurance investigation. “I can’t discuss details about it right now,” said Lange.

Police have yet to track down either the perpetrators or the expensive wheels.

By Rocco Parascandola AND Sarah Armaghan / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

No comments:

Post a Comment