MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A pregnant woman said two men dressed like construction workers took away her sense of security after they were caught on camera breaking into her Miramar apartment while she was out for her baby shower.
For Jessica Paredes and her growing family, the past weekend was supposed to be a celebration of a new life. She was surrounded by loved ones at her baby shower on Sunday to welcome her new son.
“We were very excited,” she said.
But what Paredes didn’t know was that the happy occasion would mark the beginning of an ongoing ordeal.
“I really feel scared to be here,” she said.
Paredes said it was around 8 p.m. when she came home to her apartment in a complex off Dykes Road in Miramar. When she headed upstairs, she realized that during her shower, a pair of thieves had broken into the unit.
“When my son went upstairs, he was the first one to see that somebody broke the door,” she said.
That’s when her husband took out his cellphone and began recording, showing the knob from their front door broken and in pieces.
Within minutes, the couple checked their neighbors’ Ring camera and saw the crafty crooks in action.
The doorbell video captured the duo, dressed as construction workers, putting on gloves and appearing to use tools to break in and enter the victims’ apartment.
Once inside, Paredes said, they stole thousands of dollars worth of smartphones from their family business.
“They stole like 30 iPhones. The value is like $36,000 of merchandise,” she said. “That’s something that really affects our family, because we were working one year to get that amount.”
After that, Paredes said, the thieves left, ruining their special day and taking away their main source of income.
“It’s going to be tough, because we’re not confident that money that we now have is going to support our family,” she said. “When you don’t know where the money is going to come from, this [makes you] worry.”
If you have any information on this burglary or the subjects’ whereabouts, 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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