Thieves Are Stealing Cadillac Escalades From the Las Vegas Airport

Some Las Vegas drivers have had their luck run out.

Numerous car thefts have been reported at Sin City’s Harry Reid International Airport, according to Casino.org on Thursday. In the past few weeks, almost a dozen vehicles have been taken from the airport’s parking structures, including luxury models like Cadillac Escalades. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is investigating, according to the local news station KLAS.

“This is an open investigation and further questions should be referred to LVMPD,” Joe Rajchel, a spokesperson for the airport, told Casino.org. He added that travelers should be vigilant when leaving their cars at Harry Reid, ensuring that they leave their vehicle locked, take their keys and parking ticket with them, and remove or hide all valuables.

In the recent thefts, one car owner was tipped off after he received a text saying his car door had been opened by an unauthorized person, the outlet noted. But GPS couldn’t show where the vehicle was located.

Harry Reid has been a common location for vehicle thefts: In 2022, several cars were also stolen from the airport garages, resulting in the addition of surveillance cameras and license-plate readers, KLAS reported. Even with the extra security, though, vehicles have continuously been taken.

The trend is occurring elsewhere across the country too. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, police have seen an increase in reports about stolen vehicles. Over the course of just eight weeks, Casino.org wrote, there were more than five dozen car thefts in the airport’s parking structures. According to Atlanta police data reported by the local news outlet WAGA, the 66 thefts are a massive increase from the 11 cars that were stolen at the beginning of 2023.

Luxury vehicles like the Escalade are often a target of these sorts of thefts. In the last year alone, cars including a $500,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom and six Dodge Challenger Hellcats worth $600,000 were stolen. The Escalade, which starts at just over $80,000, doesn’t quite match those six-figure price tags, but it’s certainly a coveted car. Those who drive one—or any other luxury vehicle—should be wary next time they leave it parked at an airport garage. Even better? Maybe just hire a driver to drop you off for your next adventure.