MIAMI (WSVN) - A suspect accused of stealing a high-end vehicle from a Miami condominium was caught and cuffed.
According to the Miami Police Department, the owner of the $400,000 Rolls Royce, Jonathan Sanchez, had his vehicle stolen from his apartment at the Paraiso Bayviews Condominiums early Monday morning.
This comes after a string of high-end vehicles were stolen in what detectives describe as an elaborate auto theft ring.
According to Jonathan, this was a crime of opportunity. He said he left with a valet, went upstairs, and when he returned, his car was gone.
Surveillance video showed the suspect walking up to the vehicle before getting in and driving off while others tried to stop him.
“As I walked out, everyone’s freaking out. They said, hey they stole your car! They stole your car! And I’m like, what do you mean they stole my car?” Jonathan said. “How does that happen? I gave you guys my car and you just let someone walk in and just leave? It’s a $400,00 vehicle, already just gone.”
After notifying investigators, Jonathan said he wasn’t going to wait around too long until the police got there.
He made his way to the station himself, where the on-call auto theft detective managed to get Rolls Royce on the phone to pin the vehicle to a location.
The car was found crashed at a gas station in Miami.
Witnesses then told Jonathan and his friend, who had made their way to the area, where the suspect was located.
The two were able to chase the alleged driver down before the owner’s friend tackled him, holding him down until police arrived and took him into custody.
“We took matters into our own hands, thankfully there was a police officer from City of Miami who did outstanding work. And he did it from a desk. We fortunately got the car back, but it has about $120,000 in damage and there’s no one to take responsibility for it,” said Jonathan. “First things first is solutions. Got to call Rolls Royce, let them know what’s going on. Call the police, get the police report number, try to get the location of the vehicle, and try to help the police out. We’re not here to do the police’s job, but we can help them out. It’s a horrible thing in Miami. What’s been happening with high-value vehicles? It doesn’t seem like the valets are doing what they need to be doing. And it’s anyone’s fault but mine. I live part-time in Colombia, and I live part-time in the United States, and I can tell you I’m more peaceful in Colombia.”
Jonathan, who is now exploring his legal options, says more should be done from his building, as well as the City of Miami, to combat the auto theft crimes, becoming increasingly more common in the Miami area.
Officials have not confirmed whether the suspect was working with a larger network or if this was an isolated incident.
36-year-old James Brown was taken into custody by authorities.
He appeared before a judge and is facing several charges, including grand theft auto.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.