Surveillance video captured a brazen overnight theft in Santa Clarita, where thieves used a tow truck to haul a $300,000 Corvette from a homeowner’s driveway, leaving its devastated owner without the supercar he cherished.
The 2026 Corvette C8 ZR1, wrapped in bright orange and fitted with blue-rimmed wheels, “was the car I always dreamt of having,” owner Mario Jaramillo, 57, told the California Post.
Neighboring security camera footage showed the Corvette being taken at about 3:50 a.m. Thursday. Jaramillo did not realize it was gone until later that morning because he had turned off the vehicle’s security service.
“I went to the front of my house nonchalantly and saw that my car was gone. I was numb,” Jaramillo said.
A stolen vehicle report was filed with the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, authorities confirmed. Although the Corvette was equipped with GPS, police said the tracking system was disconnected after the theft.
For Jaramillo, the loss goes well beyond the price tag. What remains now are memories of a car that had become a source of pride, connection and joy.
“I was able to meet people through the car. It helped me build a community,” he explained. “Car enthusiasts who would come up to me and ask, ‘What does it take to get a car like this?’ It was motivational for young people in their 20s.”
Jaramillo, a lawyer with Access Lawyers Group, said he had customized the Corvette with several upgrades, including ambient lighting and a new audio system, increasing its overall value.
“I really made it one of one,” Jaramillo said. “I just wanted to have fun with it. These people took the fun out of it.”
In an Instagram post about the car, the owner’s wife Laurel Jaramillo commented the Corvette was fully paid off and was not being repossessed.
She said the thieves used a repo-style tow truck to take it from their driveway in less than a minute.
“This car meant everything to him,” she said of her husband, asking people sharing the video to “please be kind and helpful.”
Mario said he felt comfortable parking in the driveway because there are similar cars in the neighborhood and he felt safe parking there.
“It feels like we’re sitting ducks. For some reason they targeted me,” he said. “Where’s the extra patrols? HOA?”
The theft remains under investigation.
Jaramillo, however, doesn’t believe he’ll see the Corvette again.
“I think the car is long gone,” he said. “I think it’s going to be shipped out of the country. But at the end of the day it’s a material loss. It can be replaced. What I want is for them to catch the thieves, so this doesn’t happen to other people.”
