A Manhattan broker left a client’s $250,000 G-Wagon unlocked for 30 seconds, then chased it down and yanked the teen driver out at a red light

Two real estate brokers left a client’s Mercedes G-Wagon running on a Tribeca street with the key inside, and a teen climbed in and started reversing it. The getaway ended within blocks. Tribeca Citizen reported that the SUV “didn’t get farther than Varick” because of rush-hour traffic.

The incident happened on Thursday, November 5, at about 3:30 p.m. outside 1 North Moore, within the 1st Precinct. The brokers had pulled the client’s G-Wagon out of the garage so it could be shipped to Florida. A second Mercedes SUV, which belongs to one of the brokers, sat behind it, also with the key inside.

When the teen began backing the G-Wagon out, one of the brokers ran to the driver’s side and banged on the window. Firefighters from Ladder 8 were watching as the SUV stalled in traffic. The driver put it in park and ran, and two accomplices in the second SUV behind it also fled.

Police caught two of the teens at Canal Street

The NYPD intercepted two teens at Canal Street, and one accomplice got away. Both cars were recovered within minutes. A 14-year-old was charged with grand larceny auto after police found him in front of 499 Canal Street with the keys, according to the police report. The teen’s name has not been published here because of his age.

One of the brokers took a photo of the chase, which shows how quickly the scene unfolded, with the SUV stuck in traffic and a broker beside the driver’s door. The speed of the recovery owed a lot to the street itself, as heavy traffic at the end of the afternoon left the thieves with nowhere to go.

Firefighters from Ladder 8 watched as the SUV stalled, and their presence added pressure on the driver, who put it in park and ran. However, the report does not say whether the second teen caught at Canal Street faces a charge, and only the 14-year-old’s charge has been described. Because the police reached Canal Street so quickly, two of the three teens were intercepted.

Auto theft is uncommon in the precinct, according to the outlet. The area logged 17 auto theft charges in 2025 and 11 in 2024. Both figures are small for a precinct that covers a busy part of lower Manhattan. Against that background, the theft of a client’s SUV from the street was a rare event for the precinct.

Both brokers had left keys in the vehicles, which gave the teens a ready-made opportunity. The G-Wagon was running at the curb and the second SUV had its key inside as well, so the thieves did not need any tools or technical skill, only a few seconds and a clear path to the driver’s seat.

Leaving a key in a luxury vehicle has gone wrong before, as Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac left the keys in his Chiron for staff and then chased the thief himself. The Tribeca case ended faster and with less effort, as the traffic did most of the work.

The outlet put the G-Wagon’s value at about $300,000. However, the recovery of both vehicles within minutes meant the price tag never became part of a loss, and the brokers could still send the SUV to its owner’s destination in Florida. The outlet’s own headline called the ending a happy one, which fits a day when nothing was lost.

Both cars came back within minutes, but the episode is a plain reminder that a running vehicle with a key inside invites trouble on a busy street, even for a short stop.