NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff’s Office is searching for a group of thieves who they said targeted vehicles over the course of several months and then used credit cards found in those cars to purchase Chinese food and tobacco products.
The fraudulent purchases were made in North Lauderdale, authorities said.
According to BSO spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis, the vehicle burglaries occurred between November 2024 and January 2025.
She said one vehicle was burglarized near the 1200 block of Hampton Boulevard and two other cars were burglarized between the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Avon Lane.
She said credit cards, along with other personal items, were stolen from the vehicles.
“Through investigative methods, detectives learned the stolen credit cards were used to purchase Chinese food and tobacco products at various businesses in North Lauderdale,” St. Louis said in a news release. “Surveillance video obtained from one of the stores shows two male subjects believed to be in their late teens at a counter ordering food. One subject is seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a graphic T-shirt underneath, while the other has on a dark-colored graphic T-shirt and blue jeans. The subject in the hoodie hands the cashier one of the stolen credit cards after placing a cell phone and what appears to be a tobacco product on the counter. When the transaction doesn’t go through, the subject hands the cashier another stolen credit card, which completes the purchase.”
According to St. Louis, the thieves got away with about $3,385 worth of valuables and cash and racked up about $152 on the credit cards.
Anyone with information on the thieves’ identities or whereabouts is asked to call BSO North Lauderdale District Det. Ricardo Fratichelli at 954-722-5800 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch App.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.