A Range Rover said to have been stolen in the early hours of the morning has ploughed into the offices of a Marylebone firm of solicitors, ending up crumpled against the building’s metal fence.
The luxury 4×4 is reported to have been taken from an address on Wyndham Place at around 4.30am. The driver did not get far before losing control and smashing into the railings outside Moss Beachley & Mullum Solicitors on the same street.
The owner believes the car was taken using keyless hacking technology, saying he still had the keys in his possession when it disappeared. The vehicle, described as an older L322-generation model worth up to £28,000, was left badly damaged in the impact.
The force of the crash ripped a metal traffic post clean out of the ground and scattered lumps of concrete across the pavement. When a tow truck dragged the wreck away at around 6pm that evening, parts of the engine spilled out and scraped along the road, snagging on the uprooted post. A crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the recovery operation.
Despite the violence of the collision — the airbag deployed and the windscreen was left smashed — there were no reported injuries. Shopkeepers arriving for work that morning were among the first to spot the wrecked car sitting against the solicitors’ fence.
One local said: “It’s very safe normally, I’ve never seen something like this here.” Homes on the street can change hands for as much as £10 million, and residents describe the area as usually quiet.
The Metropolitan Police was unable to comment on the incident. No details have been released about the driver, and it is not known whether any arrest has been made.
The alleged theft is the latest example of a fast-growing method of car crime. Rather than forcing locks or smashing windows, thieves increasingly use electronic gadgets to exploit keyless entry systems. Modern fobs unlock the car as the owner approaches, without the need to press a button — and criminals can use relay devices to capture and amplify the signal from keys sitting inside a house, fooling the vehicle into thinking its key is nearby.
Three out of five vehicles stolen in the UK are now taken using sophisticated “key-hacking” techniques, according to industry analysis. Luxury models are particular targets: in a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation broadcast last year, one convicted car thief described Range Rover Evoques as “easy, easy” to steal this way.
The scale of the problem is stark. Office for National Statistics figures show 129,700 cars were stolen across the UK in 2024 — an average of 355 a day, or one every four minutes.
London has seen a string of brazen vehicle crimes in recent months. In January, a £165,000 Mercedes G-Wagon was broken into on Pont Street in Belgravia. Over the summer, thieves stole 70 Volkswagen badges — and the sensors hidden behind them — during a four-day spree across south London, apparently using drones to scout their targets. Earlier this year, Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley was targeted by motorbike bandits who tried to steal her car in her south London neighbourhood.
Motoring organisations advise drivers with keyless cars to keep fobs in signal-blocking pouches — often called Faraday pouches — and to store keys well away from front doors and windows. Physical deterrents such as steering-wheel locks remain effective, while parking in well-lit areas or secure garages, fitting a tracking device and keeping the car’s software up to date can all reduce the risk. Drivers are also urged to check that their insurance covers theft carried out by electronic compromise.
The Metropolitan Police has issued a series of witness appeals in recent weeks, including after an assault at Baker Street station, a short walk from Wyndham Place. Officers have also appealed for information after a crash at Kew Bridge left three people in hospital, while a man has been charged following a fatal collision in Southall.
