CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A 27-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after police said he targeted elderly people in Coral Gables by burglarizing their apartments.
Recommended Videos
According to police, Jermaine Clifford McClain burglarized a series of apartment units last week at The Grand Living assisted living facility, located at 363 Granello Ave. They believe there may be other victims who have not yet come forward.
An arrest warrant states that officers responded to The Grand Living on Jan. 9 and met with the assisted living director who informed them that an unknown Black male had burglarized multiple apartment units before fleeing the area.
According to the warrant, one of the victims had gone out for a walk when she returned to her apartment unit to find McClain standing in the doorway as she opened the front door.
Police said McClain told her he was a maintenance worker who was there to fix the lights in her apartment.
But when the woman went to her bedroom after McClain left, she noticed that the lights were on and her drawers were open, authorities said.
She then noticed that her gold and silver Rolex watch was missing from the top of her nightstand.
Police said the victim pressed her emergency pendent to alert her caregivers about what had happened.
As the victim was waiting for help, another resident and two caregivers were entering another apartment unit when McClain opened the door from the inside and walked past them, pretending to talk on a cellphone, authorities said.
Police said one of the women repeatedly asked McClain who he was, but he ignored her before hopping onto the elevator and then leaving the building.
According to authorities, McClain fled the scene in a black Chevrolet SUV.
Police said nothing appeared to have been taken from the second apartment unit.
Detectives said they were able to identify McClain through “rideshare services, airport intelligence and City of Miami Police Department detectives.”
According to the arrest report, McClain is currently facing three counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and two counts of grand theft.
As of Thursday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where his bond had yet to be set.