PINECREST, Fla. – Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen said a crime ring has been paying teenagers to steal high-end cars in South Florida. Cohen said many luxury car owners are leaving the keys inside. Aside from Pinecrest, the list of carjackings also includes Coral Gables and South Miami.
“There’s a group that’s paying these young individuals - they’re usually teenagers or in their early 20s to come into these areas that have high-end cars and try to find the cars with keys left in them,” Cohen said.
The carjackers deliver the stolen cars to Broward County.
“Two of the cars stolen from Pinecrest were found on a transport truck in Broward about to be moved out of the county,” Cohen said. An awareness campaign in Pinecrest about not leaving keys inside the car reduced auto thefts by 60%, according to Cohen.