NORTH LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Thieving Grinches who targeted a pickup truck and a teenage boy’s bicycle have dampened the joy of the season for families in North Lauderdale and Westchester.
Surveillance video captured one of the perpetrators pacing the street near a home along Southwest 17th Street, near 63rd Terrace, in North Lauderdale, just before 4 a.m., Christmas Eve.
Three days later, someone was recorded hopping in the victim’s 2004 Nissan Frontier and driving off.
The owner of the truck said he believes the two incidents are connected.
“From the camera, you could see, what do you call it, the VIN number, and he went, got a key cut and came back the 27th at 3 o’clock in the morning again and removed it,” he said.
Surveillance video shows someone hopping in the truck and driving away.
The theft took place 11 days after an older man was caught on camera taking a 16-year-old boy’s bicycle from an apartment building in Westchester.
“My son went to work and, as soon as he went to work, his bike was stolen from our front porch in a matter of 10 minutes,” said the boy’s mother, who was not identified.
Cellphone video obtained by 7News captured the subject walking up the stairs and unlocking the bike outside of the unit near Southwest 87th Avenue and 12th Street, Dec. 16.
The boy’s mother said she wants the thief off the streets.
“I don’t think we’re going to get the bike back, which is fine, but what I do want is his face out there,” she said. “If he’s roaming around Westchester, just stealing people’s things, his face should be out there, and people should be vigilant.”
If you have any information on either of these thefts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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