Lamborghini Urus stolen from Bellerose car wash, abandoned in Queens, say business owner and police

In a real-life "Gone in 60 Seconds"-style exotic car theft, the owner of a specialty car wash in Bellerose said three suspects in an Audi drove into his lot, scattering customers and employees, en route to stealing a 2019 Lamborghini Urus worth more than $200,000.

For two of the suspects, the events of Wednesday morning ended about a half-hour later at Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst, after, police say, they ditched the smashed car on Queens Boulevard, just off the Long Island Expressway, and NYPD and Nassau County police officers took them into custody following a short foot pursuit.

Police said Christopher Flores, 18, of Holbrook, and Joshua Lembert, 19, of Bay Terrace, Queens, were each charged with second-degree criminal possession of stolen property [valued at more than $50,000], reckless endangerment, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. Police initially released Joshua Lembert's last name as Lambert. Both he and Flores were scheduled for arraignment Thursday, police said. Updated court information was not available late Thursday.

Police said the third suspect remained at large.

Matthew E. Gartenberg, the Manhattan-based attorney of record for Flores and Lembert, said in a statement: “This is an unfortunate incident, and my clients are not guilty.”

Gartenberg said he had yet to see the criminal complaint and discuss it with his clients.

The owner of the Ultra Sonic Hand Wash car wash at 249-24 Jericho Tpke. said the entire theft happened much faster than a minute.

"Sixty seconds?" owner Roger Green said Thursday. "Cut that in half. It was more like 30 seconds." 

The car wash, located a few blocks east of the Cross Island Parkway, specializes in low-clearance and large vehicles — generally high-end and exotic cars — that its employees hand wash along a conveyor belt system.

In February, a Nassau police alert with the title: "Cars are Being Stolen from Car Washes," warned of high-end vehicles specifically targeted for theft.  Police could not immediately provide statistics on vehicle thefts at Nassau car washes.

While both Nassau police and the NYPD said the investigation was ongoing, Green remained convinced the Lamborghini was indeed targeted.

"They didn't take this by chance," he said. "They knew what they wanted."

Green said there were dozens of employees and customers on site when the suspects came careening into his car wash lot at 8:44 a.m. Wednesday. No weapon was seen, Green said, but the suspects "implied" they had them. The Lamborghini was "near the end" of having the morning wash and cleaning completed, he said.

"They showed a violent disregard for all life," Green said. "They drove their car recklessly in reverse, sending my employees and customers running for their lives, all so they could get to the Lamborghini ... Everybody got out of the way, but it was just luck no one got hit."

Green said the owner of the white Lamborghini Urus was inside his store at the time and was not injured. No other injuries were reported.

Nassau police confirmed Green's account of the theft, which they said was reported at 8:47 a.m.

The Urus is a high-end exotic SUV with a price, when new, ranging between $200,000 and $350,000, depending on model trim and accessories, according to information on the official websites of Lamborghini and the auto industry magazine, Car and Driver.

Though Nassau police have not commented on the theft, an NYPD spokesman said Thursday that during the pursuit by Nassau police patrol units and the NYPD, the Lamborghini fled "at a high rate of speed" and "crashed into multiple cars" before being abandoned at 90-15 Queens Blvd. — almost directly in front of Queens Center Mall. 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”