SALT LAKE CITY — We now have a follow up report to an exclusive story Fox13 news first brought you two weeks ago, the brazen theft of more than a dozen vehicles from a Salt Lake automotive dealership, all of it caught on security cameras.
Once the video aired, viewers responded and now police say they are a big step closer to cracking this case.
Thanks to those viewer tips, detectives have recovered several of the 14 stolen vehicles and are now looking for the prime suspects.
It happened over Easter weekend, when five people casually drove up to the Automotive Solutions, ransacked the inside of the business and started taking vehicles, including the company tow truck.
“Those vehicles, often though, are used in other crimes, which is a problem in and of itself," said Detective Greg Wilking with the Salt Lake City Police Department. "So getting those vehicles off the street would be really nice and like I said return them to the owner so they can continue conducting business.”
Police are hoping to identify two of the suspects, including the man wearing the Utah Jazz jersey with the word “righteous” on the back.
They also want to know the name of the woman he was with.
Detectives are also hoping to track down three other suspects including Shannon Leeson and siblings Joe and John Facello.
“We should be able to catch up with these individuals and we ask for the public’s help in telling us where they are at so we can talk to them and hopefully get the rest of these vehicles returned to the rightful owner," Wilking said.
Police have spent the past two weeks executing search warrants and tracking down leads including the recovery of five of the vehicles along with computers, tools, temporary license plates and other materials taken from the dealership.
Detectives say Joseph Facello is a parole fugitive and can be picked up by any police agency in the state.
“The puzzle pieces are fitting, we might have the outside of the puzzle complete," Wilking said. "We got to fill in the rest.”
If you have any information regarding these suspects, the stolen cars or this case you can call Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000.
