Gym-goers are reminded to keep their valuables on them while training after an Anytime Fitness member had his Mercedes-Benz stolen by teen girls in Cromer on Wednesday.
Northern Beaches restaurant owner, Shahid Rahman, entered the Cromer gym at 7am to train; an hour later he discovered his phone and keys missing from the gym pigeon hole.
“I came to look for my keys and my phone, and it wasn’t there. And then I was like, maybe I check my car, and then I looked at my car, and it wasn’t there. And that’s when I knew that, yeah, something big happened,” Rahman told Manly Observer.
Police say the girls involved, aged 15 and 17 from Melbourne, may be linked to organised crime. Fortunately, the pair threw the victim’s phone from the car in an attempt to not be tracked, leading to their undoing. Once it was recovered, Rahman was able to track the vehicle with his Mercedes Me app and hand the data over to the authorities.
The teens hit speeds of 200km/h before a pursuit near Berrima at around 10.30am was called off over safety concerns – the car was eventually tracked, out of petrol in Kemps Creek, where both teens were arrested in a nearby store. By this time, they had travelled over 800km in just five hours. The driver was also driving with a disqualified licence.
Rahman’s apartment keys were not recovered, neither was his wallet, cash and AirPods. His car was returned but is currently not drivable and was left in quite a state.
“When I got into the car, I could see the vapes were there; there was like food, sticky Red Bulls, energy drinks were there, it smelt of smoke… my mechanic was saying there are so many things with the brake pad, engine disc; it’s not safe to drive.
“There you go. Right there, that’s my new Mercedes-Benz. You know, for now,” Rahman said, pointing to his e-bike, which he has been using as his primary source of transportation during his vehicle’s repairs.
Anytime Fitness Cromer staff were commended for their quick action and helpfulness during the incident. Rahman said the items were insurable and replaceable, and he was just relieved no one was injured during the pursuit.
Rahman formerly co-owned the cafe, Fish Face, in Balgowlah, currently operates The Beach Eatery at Curl Curl, and has recently taken over the lease of The Pantry Manly beachfront restaurant.
Unfortunately, this type of criminal thievery is trending among youths, with police reporting hundreds of vehicles already stolen from gyms in Melbourne in the past six months in similar fashion. Port Melbourne Anytime Fitness gym was hit by two teens in January, before the owner, Emily Cook, chased them out. Shortly after, an instructional video on how to use their locker facilities was posted on their Instagram.
There are currently no locker facilities for Anytime Fitness gyms on the Northern Beaches, though it has been shared that this is being considered. Following the incident, the gym posted on their Instagram asking members to keep valuables, such as phones, keys and wallets, on them at all times.
The teens involved with the local theft were taken to Liverpool Police Station where the older girl was charged with police pursuit – not stop – drive dangerously, take and drive conveyance without consent of owner and drive motor vehicle during disqualification period.
The younger girl was charged with ‘be carried in conveyance without consent of owner.’ Both were refused bail and appeared before a children’s court on Thursday, 13 August, 2026.
Rahman thought he would stay quiet and move on from his experience; however, he decided to reach out to Manly Observer to deliver a caution for the fitness community to avoid the experience he endured.
“I’m very grateful to police. They handled the whole situation, and also I’m glad that nobody was seriously hurt. The organised crimes are everywhere, as the police say. So keep your phone and belongings, especially the car keys,” he said.
