MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida community is on edge after a string of high-tech heists.
Thieves worked fast to steal vehicles that owners in southwest Miami-Dade thought were secured.
Police believe the crooks are using key fob technology to steal vehicles. And unfortunately, one neighborhood has had three cars taken within the last two weeks.
“It is crazy because no one is safe,” one victim said.
Home surveillance video captured a group of thieves as they made their getaway from a Coral Terrace neighborhood last Wednesday.
The crooks took off with a blue Q50 Infiniti and a red Mercedes C250 that is normally parked along Southwest 27th Street and 64th Avenue.
“It shows the blue Infiniti coming down the street slowly with a getaway vehicle behind it, and then shortly after that, the red C250 Mercedes pulls behind it and they all go down the street,” the victim said.
The victim who spoke with Local 10 News said she walked out of her home to find her cars gone, but other than the video she obtained, there was no signs of a break-in.
“The police were saying that they have key fob technology -- that they come up to your home and they can wirelessly get the information from the key fob and get into your vehicle with no keys, nothing,” she said.
As we walked through the neighborhood, we discovered the resident was not the only person to fall victim to the crimes.
Two days later, a pricey Mercedes GT was taken right from the front yard of a home on the same street.
Two crooks are seen in surveillance video walking up, and just as if they had their own set of keys, they open the doors and drive away.
“No keys were in the car. No broken glass. Nothing ,” the victim said.
While the owner in that case was able to track down her stolen car with a GPS system to an empty parking lot in Hialeah, the other victim has a message for the thieves before they even think of striking again.
“They are going to get caught because they keep coming back to this area and hitting these cars every other night. It is just a matter of time,” the victim said.
Police recommend keeping your keys away from your window and doors so that these crooks are unable to obtain your key fob information.
If you recognize the men in the video or the getaway car, you are urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.