Graduate's Stolen Camaro ZL1 Recovered, Immediately Stolen Again

It would be great to receive a Chevy Camaro ZL1 as a graduation gift. It would be even better to hold onto it long enough to enjoy it without it being stolen repeatedly. A Maryland man has been unfortunate enough to have his ZL1 not just once, but twice in a span of five days, reports Automotive News.

The man wishes to remain anonymous, but his mother, Mimi Arnett, spoke to News4 Washington about it after the first theft. The 2023 Camaro ZL1 was a gift for his graduation from the University of Maryland with a third graduate degree. (That makes me feel better, since the ZL1 has to be one of the worst cars for teen drivers.) A few months later, in the early morning hours of Memorial Day, the family woke up to the unmistakeable sound of the ZL1 starting and driving away, without any family members in it.

Less than two days later, a viewer who had seen the News4 report spotted the stolen ZL1 parked on the side of the road in Adelphi, Maryland, just 15 minutes away from Beltsville, where it was stolen. The viewer notified police, who recovered the Camaro, checked it for evidence, and released it to the AutoNation dealer where Arnett had purchased it. The dealer intended to inspect it for theft damage and repair anything they found before giving it back to the family.

Two days later, before the car could be returned to the owners, the Camaro was stolen right off the dealer lot. An employee saw someone they thought was a technician walk up and get in the car, presumably to take it to the service area for its post-theft inspection. Instead, the car drove off the lot and never came back.

The Camaro ZL1 is a legendary car, and not just because it sent a Jalopnik editor to jail for speeding. The 2023 model offered 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque pushed through a row-your-own six-speed or a ten-speed automatic, with a handling and braking package that can manage all that power and the speed that comes with it. The ZL1 is a serious track weapon.

It's also the most stolen car in America, 39 times more likely to be stolen than the average car. Not only is it desirable for its performance, but it's also easy to steal thanks to a known vulnerability in the Camaro's keyless entry system. Chevrolet has released a software update that's supposed to patch it, but if this particular Camaro had not received it, that could explain how someone was able to simply walk up and drive away without looking suspicious at all. It would be ironic if making sure this update is installed was on AutoNation's list of things to do on this car.

The ZL1 itself is not the only problem, though. Residents told News4 there have been a number of thefts in the neighborhood over the past few months. They believe it to be the work of professionals, based on how quickly they are able to make off with the cars. Arnett told Automotive News that even if the Camaro is recovered this time, they will not be keeping it, mainly because thieves keep stealing it, but also because they want their son driving something a bit safer. Translation: They want a car that's not such a theft target, and that's not so easy to steal.