Police: Thieves crash Lamborghini after stealing it from Long Island car wash
BELLEROSE, N.Y. -- A high-end car heist on Long Island started in the blink of an eye and ended in a chaotic crash Wednesday afternoon.
Police say carjackers took off in a Lamborghini, then slammed into parked cars in Queens before getting out and running.
Just a block from the Queens Center Mall, the $230,000 stolen Lamborghini crashed into parked cars and three alleged thieves ran from police. NYPD officers flooded the scene as Chopper 2 flew overhead.
"We knew it was serious once we heard the helicopters," a witness said.
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Streets were closed and stores locked down as masked men tried to escape. Malls and stores went into lockdown.
"I was quite shocked to see all the chaos and mayhem here," another witness said.
Two of the three suspects were apprehended when Manny Naz, of Valley Stream, got to the scene.
"It's my vehicle. I'm trying to find out what's going on ... They called me that they found the car," Naz said.
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The Lamborghini was outfitted with GPS. Suspects left a cellphone and sunglasses within. Police were able to track it from the Bellerose Village Car Wash where the crime began and the Lamborghini owner was waiting for his high-end car to be cleaned.
"When he saw when the car took off, he came out running. That's when he told the guys, hey, what's going on? And they noticed that the car got stolen," said Mo Naz, the victim's cousin.
Police are determining if thieves were watching from across the street and as soon as the Lamborghini was dried off and the employee turned his back, they jumped in and sped off.
It is a trend that is exploding across the Tri-State Area -- thieves targeting victims as they fill up their gas tanks or get their vehicles washed; when owners are not paying attention, the perps strike.
"People come here to the car wash with their nice cars and stuff," one car wash patron said.
"A Lamborghini, that's a lot of money," another car wash patron said.
"That would mess you up in any car but especially a Lamborghini," another person said.
"They got cameras here and everything, too, right?" another patron said.
Cameras caught it all; video is now in the hands of police, who warn drivers -- do not let your guard down.