Car maker BMW recently made headlines when one of its BMW 550i vehicles figured in the arrest of a suspected car thief. It appears that a technologically-advanced vehicle does have a few advantages to ensure its owner's safety. Credit goes to the vehicle's "ConnectedDrive" system, which allowed police officials to locate the vehicle and make the arrest.
According to Gizmodo, the authorities claim the suspect was attempting to look for cars to steal last Sunday. He stumbled upon a reportedly unlocked BMW 550i with the key still inside, the thief then managed to take the vehicle and drove off. The owner appears to have loaned the car to a friend since she got married the day before. She realized the car was missing early the next day and reported it to the police. The authorities were able to contact BMW corporate to have them track the vehicle's current location through the car's "ConnectedDrive" system.
The police found the BMW 550i still on idle and parked in an alley with the thief still inside sleeping. According to the SPD blotter report, the BMW employees remotely locked the vehicle's doors. Meanwhile, with the suspect still trapped inside, they were able to patch a call through using its "ConnectedDrive" feature. They reportedly terrified the thief by hissing "I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in with me" via the car's speakers. Police detained the 38-year-old man who was also caught carrying methamphetamine. Auto-theft and drug possession charges earned him a trip into the King County jail.
The BMW 550i is one of the few car models in BMW's fleet that uses their "ConnectedDrive" technology. The system offers a range of wireless services intended to enhance the user's driving experience. The SIM-card based system was also previously reported to have encountered security problems back in 2015. According to Jalopnik, the German Automobile Association was able to wirelessly hack the system to take control of some of the vehicles functions. They were able to control the car's air conditioning system, get information about the vehicle's condition and location and remotely lock and unlock the doors. Although there were no reported external cases, BMW has since updated their system to combat this possible threat.
