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Bugatti CEO chases thief in Porsche 911 after man steals luxury Chiron supercar with keys inside
Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac shared the story of his stolen Chiron and how he followed the car in a Porsche 911.
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A Bugatti Chiron was stolen after a man allegedly spotted its key inside the car. What followed was an unusual pursuit, with Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac getting into a Porsche 911 to track down his missing hypercar across borders.
In an Instagram video, Rimac recounted how Croatian and Austrian police helped recover the car. He also revealed what the man told him at the police station and why he decided not to press charges.
Bugatti CEO follows stolen Chiron in Porsche 911
Recounting how the incident unfolded, Rimac said the man who stole the car was from Croatia and had visited the company looking for a job. The man allegedly spotted the Chiron with its key inside and decided to drive away.
"I thought, I'll just come there. They stop the car on the side of the road. I'll pick up the car. Maybe we drive the guy home back to his family, and we go home," Rimac said in the Instagram video.
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He got into a Porsche 911 and followed the car, initially expecting a straightforward recovery. However, the situation turned into a much bigger police operation because of the value of the stolen hypercar.
"Because the value of the car is so high, there was, like, 10 police cars, 20 police officers, and big deal, and I couldn't just take the car," he explained.
Although Rimac had his identification and the vehicle's documents, the authorities wanted additional proof that he owned the Chiron. The car was eventually loaded onto a flatbed truck, while Rimac was taken to a police station.
What the thief told the Bugatti CEO
At the police station, Rimac was asked whether he wanted to meet the man who had stolen his car. He said he agreed and spoke to him.
According to Rimac, the man explained that he had visited the company to ask for a job before noticing that the Chiron had its key inside.
"He said he came to the company to ask for a job, and then he was like, 'Yeah, but I saw the car, and it had the key inside, like it was my fault.' And he just took the car and went off and had the idea to go to Germany for whatever reason," Rimac recalled.
The CEO said he found the circumstances behind the theft concerning and did not intend to press charges against the man.
"Of course, I won't press charges," he said, adding that the man would still face prosecution by Croatian and Austrian police because of the high value of the vehicle.
Bugatti CEO thanks police after cross-border recovery
Rimac revealed that the Chiron had sustained some damage during the incident, but said he was not particularly concerned about it.
"He damaged the car a bit. It's okay. I don't care. We'll repair it," he said.
He added that his biggest relief was that nobody had been hurt. Rimac also thanked the police officers involved in recovering the vehicle, particularly the Austrian police, and said the incident kept him and his friends awake until the early morning hours as they completed the paperwork.
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Describing the experience as a "crazy" one, Rimac said it had left him and his friends with another story to tell. He also revealed that the company would no longer leave its car keys lying around the factory.
"We will not keep our keys anymore around the factory, so don't try your luck," he said.
Rimac added that the company had access to the car's data, making it difficult for anyone to use the vehicle without its knowledge.
