MARGATE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two thieves were caught on surveillance video stealing a pair of pricey personal watercraft from a backyard in Margate, and now the owner is offering a cash reward for information leading to their return.
The security footage shows the subjects hooking up two Yamaha FZRs to their pickup truck and taking off at around 3:30 a.m., Friday.
“Basically, they just came in here, dragged them out and gone,” said Billy Stone, the stolen vehicles’ owner.
Stone said he has suffered a large financial loss.
“They’re worth about $16,000. They had a lot of performance upgrades,” he said. “They’re on a double trailer that’s anywhere from $700 to $1,000. It’s a lot of money. Did not have insurance on them, so it’s a big hit. It’s a lot of money to just have gone.”
The surveillance video captured the moment the thieves broke into Stone’s backyard in the area of Northwest 63rd Avenue and 21st Court.
Shortly after, the crooks could be seen dragging the personal watercraft and chaining them to their white Ford F-250 while an accomplice kept watch in another vehicle nearby.
“The vehicle was a 2003 to 2006, somewhere right in there, F-250, white, one and a half cam,” said Stone. “They had a spot vehicle across the street, black Cadillac SRX, from what I can tell.”
Several cars passed by the scene as the theft took place, but as of Sunday night, no one has reported it.
“Something that concerns me is a lot of people were passing by here, about 10 to 15 cars,” said Stone. “Everybody in the county, you guys see something, say something. Call the police, ’cause all it would have taken was one call.”
Now Stone hopes that someone will give authorities the right tip that will lead to him getting his property back, as well as the thieves arrested.
“I hope we do. I hope we get some leads. I hope people go ahead give some tips,” said Stone, “and if they see something, call the police right away.”
The owner is offering a $2,000 reward for the personal watercraft’s return intact.
If you have any information on this theft, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 reward.
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