PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Newly released surveillance video shows an SUV that police have linked to a series of incidents where, they said, a possible repeat stalker has targeted children in a Pembroke Pines neighborhood.
According to Pembroke Pines Police, a man captured in a cellphone photo running through a residential street could be the same subject that, they said, they are looking for in connection to the incidents. They recently released a computerized sketch of the man.
In the past several weeks, investigators said, four different children were approached by a man in a car.
The man has tried to lure kids by asking if he can charge his phone or if they need to charge their own phones.
Sandra Sanchez said her 17-year-old daughter was one those children. “I’m a nervous wreck,” she said.
“A lot of times, people think, ‘It’s never going to happen to me.’ In this case, I’ve always talked to them,” she said. “I’ve got three daughters. I’ve always talked to them and told them to always be vigilant and watch your surroundings.”
Sanchez said the teen was confronted on Tuesday while walking home from school in the area of Northwest 15th Street.
A neighbor’s security camera shows the young victim walking down a sidewalk, Tuesday afternoon. “You see her walking down,” said the homeowner.
Shortly after, a gray Scion SUV is seen slowly following the teen. “I just came over and just shot video of this yesterday,” said the homeowner.
Sanchez said the man who, she said, was following her daughter got out of his vehicle. “[He said], ‘Hey, girl, turn around,’ and she was ignoring him. She continued to walk,” she said.
But Sanchez said the subject did not back down. “Then finally he said, ‘If you don’t turn around within the next three seconds, I’m going to pull out my gun,'” she said.
But before he threatened her daughter, Sanchez said, she had already called her father, who was inside their family home nearby. Just as the creeper got in her face, the mother said, the teen put her smartphone to her mouth.
“That’s when she yelled and said, ‘Daddy, please come outside!'” said Sanchez.
It was at that moment that, Sanchez said, the man took off running. The high-schooler then snapped a photograph of the subject as he sprinted away.
Though shaken, Sanchez said she is grateful that her daughter knew just what to do when faced with a predator.
“When you’re nervous and you get approached like that, you really don’t know what to do,” she said. “I’m so proud of her for dialing — seeing her dad’s car and dialing.”
Detectives who met with the Sanchez family believe Tuesday’s case is connected to previous similar instances that occurred in recent weeks along the Hiatus Road area.
“For someone to do that, it’s terrible,” said a neighborhood resident.
“That’s awful. We have a lot of kids here,” said a woman who lives nearby.
Police said they’ve located a subject who matches the description in the sketch and would like anyone with additional information to come forward.
“From now on, if I see something that even is suspicious, I’m going to say something about it,” said neighbor Richard Sirgany, “because this could have been anybody’s child, it could be my child.”
“Just be aware of your kids,” said Sanchez. “Walk outside. Don’t leave them outside unattended.”
Police said they are investigating four cases where children were approached, dating back to September.
If you have any information on any of these incidents, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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