A Melbourne gym owner has chased down two youths who allegedly stole car keys from multiple gyms in a bid to make away with their vehicles.
The pair of teens allegedly used a stolen Anytime Fitness member's pass to to sneak into the Port Melbourne gym on Friday January 16.
"It was odd behaviour, but at the time I thought maybe they were just odd people," gym owner Emily Cook said.
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CCTV footage allegedly shows one of the youths rummaging through lockers before making away with a set of car keys.
"About 20 seconds later, one of our members came up to me and said, 'oh I'm not sure if I misplaced my car keys or not'," Cook said.
"Without hesitation, my instincts kicked in, I started running out the door, basically chased these kids."
Despite her efforts, the pair fled allegedly in a stolen car they arrived in.
The same offenders stole a gold Subaru Liberty from a gym carpark in Nunawading later that day, police allege.
Officers spotted the allegedly stolen Subaru speeding through Reservoir the next morning.
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The car was followed to Richmond, where police tried to intercept in in a carpark, but the driver sped away and crashed through a boomgate.
The Subaru was dumped a short time later near the intersection of Lennox Street and Rowena Parade.
Police moved in and arrested four alleged occupants of the car, including the alleged driver, an 18-year-old Albert Park man.
He was charged with a string of offences, including car theft, theft, burglary, unlicensed driving and various bail offences.
He was remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 27 January 2026.
The three other teenage boys were charged and bailed to appear before a children's court at a later date.
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In 2022, there were more than 80 thefts and break-ins across Victorian gyms.
That number is now nearly 20 times higher, surging to more than 1600.
Gym members are encouraged to make use of lockers that require a code, which generally don't come at any extra cost.
Gyms are also shifting away from the physical fob key.
"Instead we encourage them to download the Anytime Fitness app on their phone and use your phone to swipe into the club," Cook said.
"That way to get into your phone, you need face ID or a passcode."
Cook's Anytime Fitness gym had only been open for three weeks.
"As soon as I told everyone in Sydney I was buying a gym in Melbourne and moving here, almost everyone's reaction was, 'but haven't you heard about the theft and the crime in Melbourne?'," Cook said.
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