NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have recovered a stolen trailer belonging to a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue captain along with other stolen property in Northwest Miami-Dade.
It took 45 minutes to tow the 28-foot, $10,000 trailer out of the yard the thief left it in, but fire captain James Oliver III will be reclaiming it.
“Here it is empty. Empty trailer, but at least I have my trailer back,” Oliver said.
The trailer was loaded with Oliver’s expensive materials for his hobby of vintage car building and racing.
The fire captain showed 7News the surveillance video of his $10,000 trailer being hauled and stolen from his house on Southwest 133rd Avenue on Nov. 22 while he was on duty.
On Tuesday night, the day after the story aired about the trailer being stolen from the firefighter’s home, it was recovered by the Miami-Dade Police Department and their undercover officers.
Detectives said it may be part of a theft ring involving a stolen boat and dangerous dogs on the property to make things even more complicated as they seized the stolen goods.
A Jet Ski and a boat were also discovered on the scene of what police said looked like a Home Depot of stolen goods.
They were led to the Northwest Miami-Dade property as they were following a criminal case tied to 35-year-old Aldo Charafardin.
Charafardin was arrested in connection with the stolen boat, and then, after seeing Oliver’s video, the stolen trailer.
“Because of the surveillance footage, they were able to match to see if this was the same individual responsible for this theft right out of that person’s house,” said Miami-Dade Police detective Argemis Colome.
The Miami-Dade Marine Theft Task Force, which works with other law enforcement agencies in Coral Gables, Hialeah and others, said they were onto Charafardin for months.
“I’m even more appreciative that the guy was caught,” Oliver said.
The task force members at the Northwest 31st Avenue property said before getting busted, Charafardin was trying to sell a stolen boat to one of their detectives.
“Just the work that Miami-Dade Police have done has been amazing,” Oliver said.
“Because of this capture and because of your airing of this footage, we may have more victims that may come forward,” Colome said.
Miami-Dade Animal Services took three pit bulls from the property.
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