How Bugatti CEO recovered his stolen Chiron
What's the story
Mate Rimac, the CEO of Bugatti, recently shared a bizarre incident involving the theft of his prized Bugatti Chiron. The luxury sports car was stolen from the company's campus in Croatia after Rimac accidentally left its keys inside. However, thanks to location tracking, Rimac's dramatic chase, and help from Austrian police, the car was recovered.
Theft details
Theft of Rimac's Chiron
Rimac revealed the details of the theft in a social media video.
He admitted that he normally left the keys inside his Chiron and other cars at the company's campus for employees to move or test them.
This practice had never caused any problems before, but this time it led to an unexpected incident.
Campus layout
Company campus has no fences or conventional barriers
Rimac explained that his company's campus was designed as an open space, without fences or conventional barriers.
Even though access to buildings is restricted by an entry card, the rest of the campus remains open.
This design contributed to the theft going unnoticed for some time as several employees regularly used his car.
Pursuit begins
Rimac tracked the car using location data
The theft was discovered when someone told staff about an unknown person driving away with the Chiron.
Upon realizing his car was missing, Rimac called the police and checked its location data.
He found out that it was heading toward Slovenia and started tracking its movements, hoping to catch the thief before he crossed into another country.
Capture details
The suspect was a Croatian local with a troubled past
The thief managed to reach Austria with the stolen Chiron, which was running low on fuel. He stopped to refuel before Austrian police caught him.
Rimac praised the police's swift action and said they did a great job recovering the vehicle.
The CEO later met the suspect at a police station and learned he was a Croatian local in his mid-thirties with a troubled past.
Charge decision
Rimac won't press charges against the suspect
The suspect had come to the company's premises looking for a job and saw the Chiron with its keys inside. He then decided to take it away.
Although the car was damaged during this incident, Rimac said it would be repaired.
He also said he wouldn't press charges against the man but admitted that leaving car keys unattended was a mistake he wouldn't repeat in future.