A man was foolish enough to leave the keys in his Mercedes — but he got his revenge over the thief who drove off with the car the next day.
The 45-year-old Mercedes owner had parked the green, eight-year-old E320 on Meserole Street, between Manhattan and Graham avenues, at around 3:30 am on Feb. 2, leaving the keys in the ignition while he ran inside.
Upon returning 10 minutes later, the vehicle was gone.
But the next day, he was eating at a diner at South Fifth Street and Borinquen Place at 12:40 pm when he spotted a guy driving the stolen car into a gas station.
The owner ran outside and grabbed the keys from the driver, who proceeded to run away.
Not content to call it square, the Mercedes owner flagged down a passing cop, and officers chased the guy into a subway station near Metropolitan and Union avenues where Officer Nicholas Sofokles collared the 21-year-old alleged car-stealer and Staten Island resident.
“I was driving, but my friend stole the car and gave it to me,” the perp told the cops, according to the police report.
That excuse wasn’t enough to help him avoid charges of, among other things, grand larceny, unauthorized use of a vehicle, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid driver’s license.
