SOUTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida woman said two thieves who where caught on surveillance video crashing the birthday party she threw for an elderly family member took off with her wallet.
According to Nury Masud-Ruiz, the theft took place at The Enchanted Dollhouse, a tea house near Sunset Drive and Southwest 57th Avenue in South Miami, Saturday afternoon.
“We were celebrating my aunt’s 80th birthday. It was pretty much the first time that several of us — it wasn’t even a huge gathering — that several of us had seen each other for a year, and it was a really pleasant afternoon,” said Masud-Ruiz.
Security footage captured the uninvited pair as they talked to a partygoer, then looked around the room before they rummaged through baskets under a table.
When no one was looking, one of the subjects, seen dressed in white, made her move. The video showed the woman reaching into Masud-Ruiz’s purse and taking her wallet.
Minutes after the party wrapped up, the victim said, she got an alert from her bank for a charge of over $300.
“I received a text message from the bank letting me know that they were – I guess they did a fraudulent alert on a $330 charge at Target,” she said, “and when I went to check everything out, I realized that my wallet was missing.”
Masud-Ruiz later saw the surveillance video and said the two women were acting suspicious.
“It seemed like they were trying to inquire about a party. One was asking questions, and the other one was taking a look at the purses left on the couch, and I was that lucky one whose wallet was taken,” she said.
Masud-Ruiz said there was no cash in the wallet, but she lost other important items.
“A bank card, there were a couple of credit cards. My license was there, a couple of annual passes,” she said. “My husband’s and my vaccination cards were there, so that’s gonna be a fun thing to take care of.”
Michelle Orrantia, the owner of The Enchanted Dollhouse, said this has never happened before.
“We’ve been in business for over 10 years. Never has anybody come in like that and taken anything,” she said.
After she saw the surveillance footage, Masud-Ruiz said she immediately filed a report with the South Miami Police Department.
If you have any information on this theft or the women’s whereabouts, call South Miami Police or 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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