An investigation is ongoing after a report from Avis Budget highlighted the disappearance of 47 vehicles from their pool at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The vehicles, valued collectively over $1 million, went missing between June and August, as described by NBC New York. As it unfolds, Syracuse airport police believe they have pegged the mastermind behind this large-scale theft, naming former Avis Budget employee, Milton Thompson III, 31, who now faces grand larceny and scheme to defraud charges.
The Avis Budget theft case is drawing eyes not just for its scope but for the brazenness of an insider-operated crime. According to The Post Standard, Thompson orchestrated a network that distributed the stolen cars for rent across Onondaga County, taking advantage of his employment access privileges. While officials have tracked down 42 of the 47 stolen vehicles, the whereabouts of Thompson and the rest of the fleet are unaccounted.
The scale of the operation only came to light once Avis Budget made the report earlier this year. The recovery of the majority of the stolen vehicles hints at the extent of law enforcement efforts in the case, but with Thompson still at large, a piece of this puzzle remains unsolved. Anyone with information about Thompson or the remaining vehicles has been urged to contact the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Airport Police Department, encouraging community involvement in the apprehension of the suspect.
Avis Budget has noted their cooperation with the ongoing investigation but has held back from further commentary. As authorities work on compiling charges with aid from the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, more arrests have unfolded, signaling that Thompson may not have acted in isolation.
