By Shawn Henry 
New York cops are hot on the trail of a sly ex-car rental worker who allegedly swiped nearly 50 wheels worth over a cool million bucks from Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The finger’s pointing at 31-year-old Milton Thompson III, who police claim orchestrated this brazen two-month heist earlier this year like some budget-brand Bonnie without a Clyde.
Turns out Thompson was clocking in at Avis Budget while quietly clocking out with their inventory. Between June and August, investigators say he grabbed 47 rides straight from the company’s airport lot—then, rumor has it, ran a shady side hustle renting them out across Onondaga County.
The gig blew up when Avis noticed half their fleet had ghosted. One deep dive later, cops realized they weren’t just hunting for keys but unraveling a full-blown operation. So far, 42 cars have been dragged back, but a handful are still MIA like bad Tinder dates.
Thompson’s now starring on Syracuse’s most-wanted list, slapped with grand larceny and fraud charges. No one’s spilling how he yanked this off under the airport’s nose for months, but the dragnet’s already hauled in a few accomplices.
Airport cops aren’t letting up, still combing for Thompson and the remaining joyrides. If you’ve seen a squirrelly guy with a sudden fleet of suspiciously affordable rentals, the authorities are all ears.
The whole mess exposes the soft underbelly of rental operations when someone inside flips the script. Even with most cars recovered, the real head-scratcher? How a lone employee turned a parking lot into his personal used-car empire without tipping anyone off—until it all came crashing down.
Source/Image via Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Airport Police Department
John