SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. – Sandra Morales, a single mother of three, was going out for her morning run Monday in Sunny Isles Beach when she found out that her car had gone missing.
Surveillance video caught the thieves reversing in her BMW and then driving out of the Pier parking lot, where Morales’ car was parked.
“When I came back my car wasn’t there,” Morales told Local 10 News on Thursday.
Police said after the thieves stole the woman’s car, they decided to make pitstops at Walgreens, McDonald’s, and Target, where they would end up spending around $700 with her credit card.
Osvaldo Julio Calzadilla, 40, and Yanelys Ruiz, 37, told detectives they saw cops nearby who were sitting in a yellow rental van when they saw Morales leave her backpack in the car.
After leaving her keys inside of the vehicle both Calzadilla and Ruiz broke in and drove away which left Morales devastated.
“I’m a mom with three kids so my car is everything to me,” she said.
Authorities believe the pair could be connected to a crime spree involving stolen vehicles reported throughout Miami-Dade County.
“The way they are seen on surveillance video, just doing this like they are experts, they knew what they were doing,” said Sunny Isles Beach Police Sgt. Melissa Porro.
Authorities said the pair were arrested on Wednesday and shared that it wasn’t the first time that Calzadilla has had run-ins with the law.
“He (Calzadilla)has an extensive past,” said Porro. “The time he was arrested he was on probation; he shouldn’t have been on the street.”
Jail records show Calzadilla was previously charged with possession of cocaine with a firearm and multiple weapons charges.
Morales said after getting her car back, she was so happy that she sent a cake to the Sunny Isles Police Department.
“(I had) a lot of money. I had 200 dollars cash in there,” she said.
Lowe asked Morales, “How do you spend that much money at McDonald’s?
“I don’t know. They were happy with my car and my belongings,” she said.
Both Calzadilla and Ruiz are now facing serious charges that include grand theft in the third degree and petty theft.
Police are asking others to take their key fob with them at all times, especially when exiting a vehicle.