DORAL, Fla. – Susan Bleemer wants Miami-Dade County drivers to beware of where they park their vehicles because there are thieves out there who are swiftly stealing mechanical parts.
As if the coronavirus pandemic’s economic crisis wasn’t enough, surveillance video shows a pair of thieves recently stole parts from Bleemer’s cargo vans at 6335 NW 99 Ave., in Doral.
The executive chef said Friday that she uses the vehicles for her Catering The Event business, which she has owned since 1981. She said the theft comes, as she hasn’t had an event to cater in six months.
“I want to put it out there because we need to stop these guys,” Bleemer said, adding the thieves can victimize anyone in any parking lot in Miami-Dade County.
The burglars, who were in a blue Kia, focused on two truck’s exhaust systems. They crawled under each of the vehicles and used a chain saw to steal the system’s catalytic converter, an exhaust emission control device that reduces toxic gases.
The item is a hot commodity for thieves because the parts are easy to steal and they can earn about $50 from each converter, police said. Bleemer said she is going to have to spend about $700 to replace the parts.
Bleemer is asking anyone with information about the thieves to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
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