Burglar cracks safe, steals $35,000 from Oak Ridge car dealership

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. ( WATE ) — A burglar in Oak Ridge got away with $35,000 from a car dealership after throwing a safe down a flight of stairs, according to the dealership’s CFO.

Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram CFO Joseph Laurent told WATE that a burglar used a prybar to get into the dealership. The burglar then pried the dealership’s safe from the floor it was bolted to and threw it down a flight of stairs when they couldn’t get it open, Laurent said.

He added that the burglar stole a total of $35,000, but there was relatively little damage from the break-in.

A spokesperson for the Oak Ridge Police Department shared that it is investigating reported burglaries that happened over the weekend at Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Ole Ben Franklin Motors, and Sexton Automotive.

Surveillance video from the Secret City Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram shows part of the event taking place on March 25. Around 4:07 a.m., the masked burglar walks up the steps to the accounting department, where they attempt to open a door with a keypad. When the door doesn’t open, the burglar leaves and comes back with more tools, allowing him to pry the door open.

After getting through the doorway, another video camera catches the burglar walking through a doorway with their mask down.

Just after 5 a.m., a security camera shows the burglar leaving with the safe, carrying it for a short distance before setting it down and pushing it across the ground to the side of the car lot. From there, the burglar appears to leave it for a short period before coming back with a get-away car, loading the safe inside, and driving away.

Watch the full video below

Following this situation, Laurent said the dealership is looking at new security protocols to prevent another burglary like this one from happening again in the future.

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