Thieves steal $1 million worth of Ford Raptors from Michigan factory, but abandon them when they run out of gas
- 10 Ford Raptors were abandoned by thieves in Woodhaven, Michigan, US
- After stealing them from the factory, they ran out of gas
- It seems they underestimated just how thirsty the pickup trucks are
Published on Jul 23, 2024 at 2:26 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Aug 09, 2024 at 4:49 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
10 Ford Raptors were abandoned by thieves in Woodhaven, Michigan, USA after they ran out of gas during the getaway.
The Ford F-150 Raptors were stolen from the factory after rolling off the production line.
The thieves were later apprehended at a gas station.
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The 10-car theft
Shortly after rolling off the production line, the Ford Raptors were snatched by thieves from Ford’s plant in Woodhaven last Wednesday at 2 a.m.
The pickups had been sitting in a storage location at the factory.
All vehicles had the keys on board, so it must have seemed to the thieves that they had an easy task on their hands.
As we now know, things turned out a little differently.
Police believe the thieves used a stolen Kia with a broken window and punched ignition to reach the factory after later finding it abandoned just south of where the security fence was breached to get to Vreland Road.
From there they made their way to the freeway, Chief Scott Fraczek of the Woodhaven police told WJBK.
One of the Ford Raptors was found with a price sticker still affixed on I-75 at North Line Road in Southgate after it had run out of fuel.
Another stolen F-150 was found several miles further away on I-75, not far from Gibraltar Road.
Four others were found at a Harper Woods gas station, 36 miles north of Woodhaven.
The four drivers are now in police custody after not realizing just how much fuel the cars needed.
Authorities confirmed it was ‘an organized group that does something’ with cars after the theft.
Per Fraczek, the theft bump could result in higher insurance rates for Woodhaven’s residents’ personal cars.
The Ford Raptors
The base price for the F-150 Raptor starts at $78,440 – but they can surpass $100,000.
Check out the Ford’s 2024 F-150’s Pro Access tailgate that’s perhaps over-engineered, but unbelievable.
The price estimated by police suggests that the 10 cars stolen were powered by the 5.2-liter supercharged V8.
That means the thieves had 720 hp to make their getaway – but it was also their undoing as they underestimated the amount of fuel needed.
Supercar Blondie has contacted Ford for comment on the incident.
This isn’t the first time thieves underestimated the car they stole – Seattle car thieves in 2014 were forced to leave the keys in the ignition and ran away because they couldn’t drive a manual.
Due, in part, to the fact that an estimated 97 percent of Americans drive automatic vehicles.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
