MIAMI (WSVN) - Residents of a Miami neighborhood are feeling rattled after, they said, a man broke into one home, then returned hours later to burglarize another one.
7News cameras captured items scattered inside one of the homes targeted in the area of Southwest 17th Avenue, near South Dixie Highway, Friday morning.
The rough break-in left the house a mess: books scattered on the floor, drawers open after being rummaged through and a broken door.
The homeowner, who asked not to be identified or show his face on camera because he is scared for his safety, said a man dressed like a construction worker kicked down his front door at around 8:30 a.m.
“He’s camouflaged like a worker, and he knows the area very well,” said the victim. “One of my neighbors saw that he’s always around.”
The homeowner said the thief got away with two computers.
No one was home at the time.
“Normally I have my parents here in Miami. They come from Brazil, and they stay here,” he said, “but I’m really struck [because] the guy knows that you have somebody inside, and he still wants to go in.”
However, the homeowner said, the subject’s next victim, an elderly woman, wasn’t so lucky
The homeowner of the first residence targeted said the perpetrator confronted the victim in the other home, located just a few houses down.
“He went to another house here in my neighborhood and assaulted a 91-year-old lady,” he said.
The first victim said a police report has been filed. He said he is taking extra precautions, like reinforcing all the house’s doors, to make sure an incident like this doesn’t happen again.
“For somebody to force a door off a 91-year-old woman, he has to be a bad guy,” he said.
The first victim’s home does have surveillance cameras installed, but he said they were off at the time of the break-in.
If you have any information on either of these burglaries, 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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