A 31-year-old Syracuse Avis employee stole 47 vehicles, drove them privately and loaned them out to upstate New York, police say.
An employee allegedly stole 47 vehicles from an Avis Budget location at an upstate New York airport and rented them throughout the area, police said Friday.
The rental car company reported to authorities that the vehicles, worth more than $1 million, were stolen from its location at Syracuse Hancock International Airport between June and August.
An investigation by airport police revealed that a 31-year-old Avis Budget employee was at the helm of the theft scheme, which involved renting the stolen vehicles to other locations in Onondaga County, authorities said. Police declined to release details about how the vehicles were stolen.
Police are searching for the employee, who no longer works for Avis Budget and is wanted for grand theft and scheme to defraud. Several other people were arrested in connection with the case, officials said.
Authorities said 42 of the 47 stolen cars have been recovered.
Asked about the employee and the thefts, Avis Budget issued a statement saying only that company officials were aware of the allegations and were cooperating with airport police in the investigation.
