A man in Georgia pretended to be a professional basketball player, tricking a hotel valet into handing over a $90,000 BMW X5 from the Hyatt Regency in Savannah on the night of August 14.
A Deceptive Ruse
The suspect leveraged his height and a claimed basketball background to convince the valet that he was a legitimate player, prompting the employee to grant him access to the vehicle without further verification.
After the valet handed over the keys, the man drove the BMW away shortly after midnight, heading north toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where police later located the car.
The theft came to light when a hotel guest noticed the missing vehicle and reported it as stolen, setting off an immediate investigation by local law enforcement.
Authorities have described the suspect as a Black male between 20 and 30 years old, and they are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing the valet as they work to recover the vehicle and identify the perpetrator.