Police in Savannah, Georgia, are searching for a man who allegedly posed as a professional basketball player to trick hotel valet staff into handing him a $90,000 BMW.
The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. on August 14 at the Hyatt Regency Savannah, according to a police report.
Investigators said surveillance footage showed the suspect walking through the hotel lobby and retrieving belongings from a white 2025 Audi A5 before approaching the valet stand with a ticket for a grey 2026 BMW X5.
The man allegedly told valet employees that he was a professional basketball player and had several vehicles parked at the hotel. The staff then handed him the BMW after he presented the valet ticket, allowing him to drive away.
Valet employees told police that each ticket was supposed to correspond to a specific vehicle.
The BMW did not belong to the suspect. It was owned by a dealership and had been provided as a loaner vehicle to a guest staying at the hotel.
The dealership later tracked the BMW to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Savannah police notified authorities there and had the vehicle entered into state and national stolen-vehicle databases.
Investigators also discovered that the Audi the suspect had arrived in had been reported stolen the previous day. The 2025 Audi A5 was later found unlocked in the hotel’s parking garage with no visible exterior damage. Police have not established how the Audi was stolen.
Authorities believe the suspect may also be connected to another hotel vehicle theft in Savannah.
On August 5, a woman left her black 2019 Toyota C-HR with valet staff at a Fairfield Inn. When she attempted to retrieve the vehicle the following morning, she discovered that it was missing.
Valet records reportedly showed that the vehicle’s retrieval code had been used at 12:06 a.m., more than nine hours before the woman said she had sent the code. The key was also missing from the valet lockbox.
The Savannah Police Department has released surveillance images of the suspect and appealed to the public for information.
He is described as a Black male between 20 and 30 years old. No arrest had been announced as of the latest reports.
The investigation remains ongoing.
