A string of car thefts plaguing Northeast Ohio continues unabated after three MY2023 Mercedes-Benz vehicles were stolen from Mercedes-Benz of Akron on Thursday.

WKYC Channel 3 reports that the vehicles were stolen overnight. According to police, two of the stolen cars were found on Cleveland's east side on Thursday.

This thievery isn't an isolated incident. Earlier this week, thieves targeted a Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership in Strongsville (approximately 40 miles from Akron) and made off with some nine luxury cars.

Speaking about the theft from the Strongsville dealership, police chief Mark Fender told WKYC Channel 3: "All I know is that the bad guys got access to them, and there were [key] fobs strewn visibly inside the crime scene." Was there an insider? Possibly. Fender said, "Obviously, there had to be more people involved."

Several secondhand vehicles were taken, including one Lexus LC 500 Convertible, a Cadillac CTS, an Audi TT, two BMWs, and four Mercedes-Benzes, including an AMG GLS 63 and an E-Class. These and two other Mercedes vehicles, as well as the Audi TT, have been recovered. The suspects are believed to have gained access to the dealership through a garage window at the rear of the facility. Unfortunately, there are no cameras angled toward the used car section.

Some 23 miles away, investigators found discarded tracking devices that the thieves cunningly got rid of, again suggesting that the thieves were well prepared and knew what to look for and where.

In November, a group of gun-toting thieves stormed a car dealership in Detroit and made off with 13 vehicles, including a Ford Mustang (that later crashed) and several Dodge Durangos. At the time of reporting, just seven of the vehicles were recovered.

It seems that car thieves are becoming increasingly brazen, pulling off stunts such as this. American automakers General Motors and Ford, along with Stellantis, have had to contend with a string of thefts at their respective lots in Michigan. Not long after it was unveiled, a thief helped themselves to a brand new Raptor R that was stored on Ford's Dearborn lot.

Less than two months before that, criminals made off with $1 million worth of Raptor trucks stolen from the Flat Rock assembly plant.