A Florida businessman took to the skies to hunt down his wife’s rare Rolls-Royce after brazen thieves stole the $250,000 luxury coupe from their garage in broad daylight.
Bob Benyo, 61, the owner of Aerial Banners Inc., was so outraged by the Sept. 21 heist, he sent an airplane over Miami dragging an unusual banner.
“STOLEN PURPLE ROLLS-ROYCE REWARD…,” blared the message followed by Bob’s cellphone number.
“It’s insured for more than it’s worth, but that’s not the point. The point is this is exactly why my insurance rates are so high and your rates are so high, and I’m sick of it. I’m done,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Olga and Bob Benyo pose with their two children and a lion. (Courtesy of Bob Benyo)
Minutes after his wife Olga Benyo, 41, and their two young children arrived at their waterfront home, the thieves broke into the garage.
A little after 3 p.m., a neighbor’s security camera recorded two men walking up the driveway, then Olga’s beloved Wraith with chrome rims and white leather interior can be seen driving out.
Sophisticated car thefts have recently plagued the upscale neighborhood, Bob said.
Detectives believe the burglars cloned the garage remote. The thieves left behind an Aston Martin Vanquish and a 1970 Chevelle.
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The Aston’s $1,500 key was missing, and Bob suspects the men first tried to steal the sports car but couldn’t figure out how to turn it on.
After his wife called in a panic, he reached out to police and rushed home.
He also got a call from his ex-wife, who said her new husband had just spotted their Wraith speeding north on Biscayne Boulevard and weaving in and out of traffic.
“I thought immediately, I’m going to fly an airplane with a message offering a $5,000 reward,” he said.
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By 5 p.m., one of his planes was in the sky over Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
“When you own the company you can get those banners in the air really fast,” quipped the businessman, who also sells motorcycles and aircrafts.
The plane flew for two days and more than 300 tips poured in.
A man called from an anonymous number and said that he’d spotted the Rolls-Royce listed for rent on Telegram. He proposed renting it and returning it for the reward.
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Bob agreed, but the jittery thieves backed out. They told the man they decided to ship it to California, where it might be easier to unload.
The investigation had hit a dead end until Bob got a phone call at 11:30 p.m. Sept. 23.
“This girl says ‘I know where your car is. I’m looking at it right now out my window,” he recalled. “She said she didn’t care about the money. She told me, ‘I’m just mad someone broke into your house and stole something special to your wife.’ She meant it. Really meant it. I spoke to her several times, she never once asked for the reward.”
Interior of Bob and Olga Benyo’s garage (left). Their purple Rolls-Royce getting towed from the parking lot where thieves left it.
Police arrived on the scene and found the Rolls-Royce sitting in an outdoor parking lot in a rough section of Fort Lauderdale.
“The area is known for criminals parking stolen cars for a cool-off period to see if there’s a GPS tracker,” Bob said.
Although the car was unscathed, more than $23,000 in valuables were gone, including an $18,000 Hermès purse, a pair of Chanel sunglasses and a Louis Vuitton scarf, according to a police report.
The burglars, who were driving a silver Mercedes, are believed to be connected to a string of car thefts in Benyo’s neighborhood.
“This is what they do every couple of days,” he said. “The detective told me it’s their shopping mall.”
Olga and Bob Benyo out on the town. (Courtesy of Bob Benyo)
Olga adores her purple Rolls-Royce and was thrilled to get it back. “Oh my God she was ecstatic. The happiness I saw on her face was more than the day I got her the car,” Bob said.
He bought the Wraith in 2019 as a gift for their wedding anniversary. Olga, who works as an etiquette coach, likes to use the car for client meetings, he added.
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“I’m a mechanic, so we’re like yin and yang. I usually have dirt under my nails. You’d never think I’d have a wife that looks like her and teaches etiquette,” he told Fox News Digital. “Sometimes she uses me as an example of what not to do.”
Olga and Bob Benyo in front of a luxury car on an airstrip posing with guns. (Courtesy of Bob Benyo)
The young woman who called in the tip received the $5,000 reward – even though she didn’t ask for it, Bob said.
“I’m just so grateful there are still good Samaritans in the world, and she needed the money,” he added. “It was a really uplifting experience.”
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Bob said two men have been arrested in connection to the theft, which Fox News wasn’t immediately able to verify.
