IMPD finds 12 stolen luxury cars from across the nation at near east side salvage lot

INDIANAPOLIS — Police continue to investigate a nationwide auto theft ring after officers found a dozen stolen cars worth more than $1 million at a property on Indy’s near east side.

According to IMPD, detectives from the department’s auto theft unit were contacted by Massachusetts State Police on a report of a stolen vehicle on Monday. A vehicle involved in an investigation reportedly pinged in the 1000 block of S. Keystone Avenue.

“That’s when we located not only one vehicle, but 12 stolen vehicles,” said IMPD officer Tommy Thompson.

Thompson said officers inspected all the cars at the property and reportedly located 12 stolen vehicles from several states, valued at $1,022,000 combined.

While most of the stolen rides came from Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois and Florida, three were also reported stolen in Indiana.

The following stolen vehicles were reportedly recovered at the site, according to IMPD:

• 2022 Black Lexus R350 – Indianapolis
• 2025 Black Mercedes GLE SUV – Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office
• 2021 Blue Toyota Highlander – Harvey, Illinois PD
• 2020 Black Rolls Royce GHOST – Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• 2019 Silver Lexus R350 – Indianapolis
• 2019 Gry Mercedes GL5 – Boca Raton, Florida
• 2023 Black Toyota Highlander – Chicago
• 2025 Black Mercedes 350 – Palm Beach, Florida
• 2023 Black Cadillac Escalade – Atlanta
• 2021 Blue Dodge 2500 – Sheridan
• 2022 White BMW X7 – Old Tappan, New Jersey
• 2024 Black GMC Yukon – Rental Vehicle

Aside from no trespassing signs, there’s nothing else showing the name of the lot, and because no arrests have been made, no one was around to ask how the stolen cars wound up on the property.

“This investigation is going to take a while. This is the start, honestly,” Thompson said.

In recent years, IMPD issued community alerts following a huge spike in stolen Kias and Hyundais across the country.

That trend resulted in auto thefts going up by 38% in Indianapolis at this time last year.

By contrast, this year’s numbers have come down by 20%.

“Our numbers continue to go down, over 20%, but we can’t do that alone. That’s because the community does its part. We want to community to continue to do their part,” Thompson said.

To try and prevent auto thefts, police remind owners to park in well-lit areas, never leave their car running unattended, lock the doors and windows, install tracking devices or contact their dealer for other anti-theft options.

“We want to remind the public to do everything you can to keep your car safe and in your possession,” Thompson said.

Officials said that the vehicles are being held for the owners to retrieve them. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the department’s auto theft unit at 317-327-1270 or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.