Capitol Motors sells cars to Americans from its office about a block north of Aviano Air Base, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
AVIANO, Italy — Thieves stole two cars and a safe from a dealership that caters exclusively to Americans during a burglary this month, according to multiple Italian media reports and the local Carabinieri office.
Capitol Motors, located about a block from Aviano Air Base’s north gate, was broken into in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
The cars stolen were a Honda Civic and a BMW X1, both of which were new and had no license plates, Il Gazzettino reported.
The safe was eventually found along the Brentella stream underneath a recently renovated bridge near San Martino di Campagna about 3 miles east of Aviano, another report from the newspaper said.
A passer-by found keys and documents scattered in the area. Authorities told the paper they were concerned that the two stolen vehicles might be used in other crimes.
Capitol Motors employees said they could not comment on the situation, and attempts to obtain more information from the company were not successful.
The dealership is based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and has other locations in Spangdahlem, Germany, and in Aviano and Vicenza in Italy.
A Carabinieri officer in Aviano, who asked not to be identified, largely declined to comment about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.
When asked whether the business had been targeted because of its American clientele, the officer said it was a “random theft.”
Local news outlet La Gazzetta di Pordenone reported that the thieves appeared to know their target, “suggesting that the burglary may have been planned in advance.”
Investigators were reviewing footage from the dealership’s surveillance cameras.
