U-Haul rental truck used in Pembroke Pines mail theft spree

Other towns, cities possibly targeted as well

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. ā€“ Mailbox after mailbox in a Pembroke Pines neighborhood has been targeted by a brazen thief.

A man captured in several videos, driving what appears to be a U-Haul rental truck, is seen going from house to house.

ā€œIt seemed very routine, very businesslike,ā€ said longtime resident Peter Gonzalez. ā€œThey donā€™t care if you have a camera. They donā€™t care if you have a Ring.ā€

Gonzalezā€™s surveillance system is one of several that caught the man in the act.

In the video, the man can be seen getting out of the truck, first going to check for unlocked cars before casually checking the mailbox on his way back out.

The man then gets back in the truck and continues going house to house, stopping at mailboxes along the way.

Police searching for a man seen robbing mailboxes in Pembroke Pines. (WPLG)

ā€œItā€™s a privacy issue, youā€™re talking about identity theft,ā€ said longtime resident Melvin J. Smith. ā€œYouā€™re talking about statements coming from credit card companies. A lot of people arenā€™t online.ā€

Turns out residents across western Pembroke Pines found to open mailboxes on the 16th of October, and in many cases they were missing mail.

When several homes were hit all around Chapel Trail, neighbors began mobilizing, sharing videos online of a very similar truck in the early hours of the morning.

Itā€™s why Smith now has a lock on his mailbox. He says he saw this coming as the area kept growing.

Stealing mail is a federal crime but itā€™s a problem that has happened time and again across Broward County.

The postal service was contacted and is getting involved, working alongside the Pembroke Pines Police Department.

Anyone who thinks they recognize the man, or has information about the crimes, is urged to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.


About the Author
Andrew Perez headshot

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.

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