Owners: Mercedes stolen from DeBary dealership crashed into school bus in Orlo Vista

DEBARY, Fla. — A DeBary couple said their car dealership was ransacked by two thieves Thursday, and the crime was caught on surveillance video.

The video shows two people breaking the front door of the Upfront Automotive Group with a car battery, then rummaging through the dealership.

Authorities said the thieves tried to break into the business by throwing a paint can at the window, but that did not work.

“Our door here was completely busted out. There was a busted paint can on the ground,” owner Bridget Small said.

The owners said the thieves found a set of keys and stole a silver Mercedes-Benz.

Small said the Mercedes was the most expensive car on the lot.

In a strange twist, the Smalls said they watched a news story Friday about a silver Mercedes colliding with a school bus at the corner of West Washington Street and Wilmer Avenue.

Previous story: Driver flees after hitting school bus, FHP says

Two people inside the Mercedes took off on foot.

“We immediately recognized the car from the exact color of the interior. It even had a phone charger still in the car that I could see in the passenger side,” Small said.

While the Orange County Sheriff's Office has not confirmed to WFTV that the incidents are connected, the Smalls said the Mercedes is theirs.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the Mercedes had been reported stolen, and that the driver and the passenger have not been found.

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