Most parking garages are more interested in keeping your car safe while you’re gone than taking it for an extended joyride. But Jay Nieves of Premiere Parking Spot in Cocoa, Florida, was the exception recently.
Nieves was busted after a GPS device planted in a 2012 Corvette by WFTV reporter Jeff Deal revealed the car was rolling within hours of being dropped off. Subsequent video surveillance showed Nieves accelerating all over town, driving on dirt roads, even loading lumber into the Corvette while a dog wandered around the interior. By the time it was returned, the “safely parked” sports car had logged more than 60 miles.
This wasn’t a mistake or a quick loop around the block. It was full-on joyriding by a grown man paid to keep the car safe- and in one place.
It Happens More Often Than You Think
As outrageous as Nieves’ antics were, they’re far from unique. All over the country, customers are discovering their cars are being taken for rides they never authorized.
In Silverdale, Washington, a BMW owner discovered his dashcam had captured a mechanic doing 113 mph on public roads, blowing through red lights, blasting music and treating the vehicle like his personal race car.
In Burlington, North Carolina, two dealership employees were caught taking a Corvette Z06 on joyrides – with the whole episode recorded by the car’s cameras.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a body shop employee slipped a customer’s BMW out for a spin.
In Sacramento, California, a repair shop worker took a client’s car out and crashed it — with surveillance video documenting.
This isn’t youthful exuberance or a momentary lapse. It’s theft of use and it undermines the trust that keeps garages, body shops, and dealerships in business.
Why it’s particularly egregious
Anyone who’s ever dropped off their car knows the uneasy feeling of leaving it behind. You’re trusting strangers with one of your most expensive possessions, often worth more than your yearly income. When that trust is broken, it’s not just about mileage or fuel — it’s about the violation of handing over the keys and being betrayed.
Protecting Yourself
You can’t control what happens behind the garage door, but you can stack the odds in your favor. Here’s a simple “Before You Hand Over the Keys” checklist:
Document – Snap a photo of the odometer and make sure any dashcam is recording.
Control Access – Hand over the valet key only. Take your phone, wallet, and valuables with you. Use valet mode if your car has it.
(The above point is personal. I once parked a Bentley in Inwood, Manhattan, realizing only later that I’d left my cell phone in the car. Since I wouldn’t be needing it, I didn’t go back for it. The next day I found a series of calls totalling about 3 hours to Santo Domingo.)
Remove Temptation. Ask the shop to note mileage on intake paperwork. It signals you’re paying attention. A tip in advance doesn’t hurt, either, if you’ve got it. But above all, let them understand you’re keeping an eye out.
Track it. A hidden GPS tracker or a dashcam with cloud upload makes it risky for anyone to take it out of the lot.
Follow Up. When you get the car back, check mileage, fuel and footage if you suspect unauthorized use.
Make a stink if they’ve joyridden. The authorities should be called, absolutely, not only for your benefit but the benefit of future customers who also don’t want their wheels borrowed. It’s not about being a big shot with your expensive car. What’s right is right.
Bottom Line
Most garages and mechanics do their jobs honorably. I parked every kind of exotic car in that Inwood garage for nine years without so much as a scratch. Jay Nieves – who has now shut down his business and still owes his drivers money – shows that car joyriding isn’t just something that happened in Ferris Buelller’s Day Off.