A Collier County man is behind bars, accused of stealing a BMW from a mansion in Naples. Ivan Zegarra, 20 is charged with grand theft auto after allegedly stealing the car from a home near the Naples Pier.
The car was reported stolen Wednesday. It had a GPS tracking system, and police called BMW Assist to "ping" it's location.
"Cars are being stolen in our backyards," said Bryan Brax of Naples Motorsports, who strongly recommends GPS tracking devices for cars. "That's the only way to really track it."
According to a report from the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Zegarra was driving the BMW when deputies pulled the car over on Livingston Road. He told reportedly told deputies that he was homeless.
When deputies questioned his female passenger, she said that Zegarra told her he was house-sitting for the owners of the BMW, and had permission to drive the car while staying at their beachfront mansion as long as he cleaned the place up.
Fox 4 reached out to the company that cleans the mansion. The cleaning company's owner said that Zegarra did not work for them.
Brax said GPS tracking systems are installed in discreet spots in vehicles, and would be very difficult for a thief to find or disconnect. He said that while apps allow owners to track their vehicles themselves, he advised against going after it - or the car thief.
"They could be dangerous, so it's definitely something you bring to the police's attention," he said.
