Couple says their Cadillac Escalade was stolen from dealership while waiting for service

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It was a big purchase, but it was a proud moment for Annette Gaona and Eulalio Tovias when they bought their first Cadillac - a 2015 black Escalade Platinum.

Now, their new vehicle is gone and they may never see it again.

"We're like, 'This is a nightmare. This is a joke right?" said Gaona.

She tells ABC13 on May 31, the couple dropped the car off for some repairs at Central Houston Cadillac on Main Street, which is where they purchased it. After several days of waiting, Tovias said he started checking in with the dealership.

"Repeatedly, every two to three days, maybe the most four or five days, but I would call," he said. "Every time they would tell me, 'Everything is fine, everything is fine.'"

READ ALSO: Couple's truck stolen from dealership's lot while it was in for service

Surveillance video shows how quickly a truck was stolen off a car lot. It looks like the suspects are working under the hood. Seconds later, they jumpstart it and take off. But it wasn't a truck for sale.

But more than two weeks later, on June 22, the couple received a call saying the service parts were finally in, but the car was missing.

"How on Earth does this even happen? At a dealership?" asked Tovias.

The two were able to watch surveillance video from the dealership. They said it showed three people pull onto the property during business hours, switch the license plates, open the car door and drive off.

"It literally took them maybe five minutes," said Gaona.

The time stamp on that video showed the theft happened on June 9, 12 days before this couple was notified. The couple said they are now in back-and-forth communication with the dealership.

After filing their own police report, the couple said the dealership refused to share a copy of the surveillance video.

Now, they said Central Houston Cadillac is refusing to file a claim with their insurance carrier.

The couple said they were told they had to use their own auto insurance.

"Who knows how much my insurance will go up, $1,000 deductible money that I don't have," said Tovias.

ABC13 has been trying to speak to a representative with the dealership but have not been able to connect with management after several phone calls.

Meanwhile, the couple knows they will likely never see their new Cadillac again, and all they want is this business to take responsibility and help them to clean up the mess.

"The vehicle was not in our possession. The vehicle was with the dealership on their property," said Gaona.

For updates and developments on this story, follow ABC13 reporter Shelley Childers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.