A now-former employee of Smythe Volvo Cars in Summit, New Jersey, may have been inspired to do something straight out of the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds.” A major plot point in the film was three Mercedes that were considered unstealable; their special laser-cut keys had to be ordered from the factory in Germany, and the cars wouldn’t open or start without them. Kip Raines had this covered with a connection at a dealer who would get keys made for the cars he intended to steal. Maybe you see where we’re going with this.
The Summit Police Department arrested Henrri Bonilla of Newark for allegedly stealing three cars from the dealership during his employment. The first, a 2025 Volvo EX90, was reported on April 15. A second EX90 was reported stolen from the same dealer on May 7. Switching things up a bit, a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE mysteriously disappeared off the lot on May 26 (no laser-cut key necessary, it seems). These cars are collectively worth around $200,000. Police say that Bonilla used his access to key fobs, which make cars easier to steal, to carry out the heists. Rather than driving out through the showroom window like a certain Porsche in the movie, the perpetrator could, as Han Solo would put it, “fly casual.”
The imperfect crime
There was, however, a sizable flaw in this plan. A dealer is going to notice a car missing from its lot, even with all windows intact. The dealer will certainly notice three missing cars over the course of eight weeks. That’s why Memphis Raines did a big one-night boost in “Gone in 60 Seconds,” to get away before the victims even knew they’d been robbed. We won’t know exactly how police broke the case until Bonilla’s day in court, but an investigation of the dealer’s employees who had the means to carry out the thefts would have been a reasonable course of action.
Bonilla has been charged with three counts of motor vehicle theft, one count of conspiracy to commit motor vehicle theft, and one count of receiving stolen property. He has been released on his own recognizance until his court appearance. Needless to say, he no longer works for Smythe Volvo Cars.