An unusual theft ended in a cross-border chase across Europe: Mate Rimac, CEO and owner of luxury carmaker Bugatti, discovered that his personal Bugatti Chiron had been stolen from the company's compound in Croatia. Rather than wait for police updates, he got into his Porsche 911 and set off after the thief himself.
The incident took place last Wednesday at the company's production and technology facility near the capital, Zagreb. Rimac explained that for years he had left the keys inside his cars, including the Bugatti, so that employees could move them and run checks without needing to find him each time.
But the habit turned into an opportunity for a stranger who arrived at the compound. According to Rimac's account, the man came to the site looking for work, noticed a car with the keys left inside, got in and simply drove away.
The theft came to light after an employee spotted an unfamiliar person driving the Bugatti and alerted company staff. Once it became clear that no one had authorised the trip, police were called.
The chase reached Austria
Rimac activated the car's telemetry system, which allowed him to track its location in real time, and saw that it was heading toward Slovenia. He got into his personal Porsche 911 and joined the pursuit, passing updates on the car's position to officers via a chat group.
The thief managed to cross Slovenia and reach Austria, where police forces located and arrested him. He is a Croatian national in his thirties.
The Bugatti CEO's surprising offer
After the arrest, Rimac met the suspect at the police station and heard from him that he had come to the company compound hoping to find work, but decided to take the car after seeing the keys inside.
Rimac said he chose not to file a personal complaint against him, and even offered to drive him back home to his family. But police would not allow it, making clear that given the car's enormous value, criminal proceedings would continue in any case.
The Bugatti was returned to its owner, though it sustained damage and will be sent for repairs. The base price of a Chiron model stands at around €2.4 million, and it is capable of reaching speeds of around 420 km/h.
Following the incident, Rimac announced he would no longer leave keys inside his cars. "I'm so proud that Croatia is safe, to the point where I got used to leaving the keys in my cars. It worked for years, until what happened happened. It won't happen again," he said.
