- Police linked 20 stolen vehicles worth over $2.4 million total.
- Suspects cloned or swapped fobs while posing as dealership clients.
- Investigators tracked thefts to New York and New Jersey operations.
Grand theft auto suspects have no shortage of tricks up their sleeves these days. Some smash and grab in the dead of night. Others roll up to a dealer, pretend to be a transport truck, and drive away with six-figure exotics.
And then there are those, like one couple in the Northeast, who rely on old-school sleight of hand. In this case, it allegedly netted them over $2.4 million worth of stolen vehicles.
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A yearlong, multi-state investigation led by the Old Saybrook Police Department has resulted in the arrest of a Pennsylvania woman accused of participating in an organized vehicle theft ring that allegedly used dealership test drives to steal high-end trucks across Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
According to police, the scheme began as early as March 2024 and followed a consistent pattern. Suspects would arrive at dealerships posing as legitimate buyers, request to see specific vehicles, and ask to start them. That’s when the trick went down.
Investigators say the female suspect sometimes distracted the salesperson by acting “playful,” though they didn’t elaborate. While attention was diverted, her partner would swap the real key fob with a decoy, reports the New York Times.
No Fob Needed for the Follow-Up
In other cases, the distraction allowed one suspect to plug into the vehicle’s OBDII port and clone the key in under a minute. With the groundwork laid, they would return later and simply drive the vehicle off the lot.
On March 12, 2024, a couple fitting the suspects’ description stopped by Monaco Ford in Glastonbury to check out a 2024 F-450 pickup with an $86,515 sticker price. Staff handed the man a key fob to start it up, and everything seemed routine, until the truck disappeared the next day. Investigators now think he swapped the fob with a fake, a nearly identical move reported in New Jersey about a year later involving a $115,000 Ford pickup.
The investigation gained momentum on February 5, 2025, after two GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate pickups disappeared from Vachon Buick GMC in Old Saybrook. Neither key fob was missing, a detail that immediately raised red flags.
A Suspect in Custody, a Partner Missing
Detectives soon identified similar thefts throughout New England and beyond, all sharing the same playbook. Investigators ultimately linked the theft ring to at least 20 stolen or targeted vehicles worth more than $2.4 million.
That trail led to Tiffine Kyte, 37, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She was arrested in Warren County, New Jersey, extradited to Connecticut on January 15, 2026, and charged with multiple counts of first-degree motor vehicle larceny and conspiracy.
She was held on a $275,000 bond and arraigned the following day. Authorities haven’t released any information about her suspected accomplice.
Old Saybrook Police Chief Michael Onofrio credited the multi-agency teamwork behind the investigation and stressed how critical public involvement remains in stopping these kinds of crimes.
“This case highlights the value of strong partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the private sector,” he said. “Organized theft rings rely on opportunity and anonymity. When businesses, residents, and police share information and remain vigilant, we significantly reduce those opportunities and protect our communities.”
