On Air Now

Darren Lethem

6:00pm - 10:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Debbie Harry

French Kissin' In The U.s.a.

Download

Bugatti's CEO Mate Rimac chases down car thief - then offers him lift home

The head of the luxury car-maker Bugatti has promised to stop leaving his keys in his own car after his £2m model was stolen from a company site in Zagreb.

Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac, a Croatian citizen born in Bosnia, said in a post on Instagram on Thursday that the Bugatti Chiron was recovered by police in Austria after he had chased the thief.

Standing in front of the car in the online video, Mr Rimac said: "I'm so proud of Croatia being so safe that I'm very relaxed, meaning I always leave my keys inside my cars, including Chiron and Nevera.

"I do that for years and nothing ever happened of course until something did happen now, so I will not do that anymore and don't try your luck."

Leaving the keys inside was also a matter of convenience, he explained, allowing workers to move the car without having to contact him, as he was "always busy".

CCTV of the theft itself and pictures of Mr Rimac with police officers in Austria were also uploaded to his account.

Once the theft was discovered at the company's production and technology campus near Zagreb on Wednesday, Mr Rimac, also the founder and CEO of the Rimac Group, set off after the thief in a Porsche 911.

He contacted police and used the Chiron's telemetry, or tracking system, to trace it, telling officers it was being driven towards neighbouring Slovenia.

Officers found and arrested the suspect in Austria, helped by updates shared by Mr Rimac in a group chat.

The CEO said he met the suspect, a Croatian man in his mid-30s, at a police station in Austria.

More from Sky News:
Biggest-ever bank heist
Epstein's Balmoral visit investigated
Sir Patrick Stewart's greatest roles

The man explained that he had come to the company looking for a job and took the car after seeing the keys inside.

Though the CEO said he would not be pressing charges, he warned the suspect would be prosecuted due to the car's high value. He also wanted to give the man a lift home back to his family but was not allowed to by the police.

The car, which was damaged, will be repaired.

The Chiron, described on the Bugatti website as the "ultimate hyper sports car", was launched in 2016, has a base price of €2.4m (£2m) and can reach speeds of 260 mph (420 kmh).

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Bugatti's CEO Mate Rimac chases down car thief - then offers him lift home

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from Top Stories

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Filey

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 9°C

  • Whitby

    Sunny intervals

    High: 12°C | Low: 8°C

  • Bridlington

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 8°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 8°C

  • Driffield

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 7°C

News

Podcasts

  • Yorkshire Coastcast

    EP85: CURFEW RUN returns to Scarborough to help women feel safe running in the dark

    CURFEW RUN returns to Scarborough to help women feel safe running in the dark. Also, meet the 6 year old walking Filey to Whitby for charity.

  • The Codcast - Whitby Town FC

    The Codcast- Episode 98

    Andrew, Paul & Liam with Ben Turner, Stuart Rose & Graeme Lee

  • The Seadogs Podcast - Scarborough Athletic FC

    EP75: INTRODUCING THE MONEYWEB STADIUM!

    Scarborough Athletic Marketing Director tells us about Moneyweb's 5-year stadium naming rights deal

  • The Codcast - Whitby Town FC

    The Codcast- Episode 97

    Andrew, Paul, Liam & Jack with Graeme Lee, Ben Creamer, Cal Hickman & Oli Swan