Charlize Theron’s BMW was stolen from her Los Angeles home Thursday, authorities and reports said, making the Oscar-winning actress the latest high-profile victim in a recent wave of thefts and burglaries in the city.
The Daily Mail, citing Los Angeles Police Department sources, reported that a suspect entered Theron’s property through an open gate and took the vehicle while the key fob remained inside. LAPD investigators were able to track the car as part of their search for the person involved. Representatives for Theron did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the report.
The theft comes amid a string of incidents affecting celebrities across the Los Angeles area in recent months. Earlier this month, actress Tracee Ellis Ross reported a burglary in which more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and handbags were taken from her home after staff arrived and discovered the house had been ransacked. Police were reviewing security camera footage in that investigation.
Other reported incidents include a break-in at Lionel Richie’s Beverly Hills home last month in which an alarm reportedly sent the intruder fleeing and led to an arrest; a late-June burglary at Brad Pitt’s Los Feliz residence for which three suspects were later arrested after investigators used security footage to help identify them; an attempted burglary of former reality star Teddi Mellencamp’s home in July that was thwarted by a security alarm; and a February break-in at the Beverly Hills home of Nicole Kidman and her husband, musician Keith Urban, when an employee on the property scared off the intruder.
Police statements and reports have varied by case. In the Pitt investigation, authorities said the suspects did not appear to be specifically targeting famous people, and detectives relied on surveillance footage to make identifications. In other incidents, investigators have sought leads from security-camera footage and witness accounts while continuing to examine whether the crimes are connected.
Theron, 50, has two adopted children, Jackson, 12, and August, 9. Reports noted she was seen in Las Vegas on Saturday and had taken her eldest to Disneyland about a week before the reported theft. The timing of those outings was not linked publicly by law enforcement to the investigation into the vehicle theft.
Los Angeles has seen increased public attention to crimes at high-profile residences this year as more actors, musicians and other notable figures report break-ins and thefts. Police departments have urged residents to secure properties, use alarms and review surveillance footage while investigations continue. Investigators are pursuing leads in each case and have emphasized that outcomes depend on evidence gathered at individual scenes.
The LAPD is handling the inquiry into Theron’s reported theft, and it was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been made. Media inquiries to Theron’s representatives were unanswered at the time of publication.