MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida rideshare driver has been left reeling after, he said, a thief broke into his car and stole more than $2,000 in cash he was planning to send to his family in Haiti.
The victim, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety, said Sunday morning’s theft happened moments after he walked away from his car.
“I’d never think this was going to happen to me,” he said.
The driver said the crook left with several envelopes full of cash.
“I couldn’t believe he took the money,” he said.
The victim said he’d taken the money from TD Bank along Biscayne Boulevard in Miami Shores.
Before heading home, the driver said, he made a pit stop at the Sabor Tropical supermarket on 79th Street, near Biscayne Boulevard.
“Before I leave the car to go inside the supermarket, I put the money under the driver’s seat,” he said.
But while the victim was inside the store, a criminal made his move in the parking lot.
Surveillance video shows the subject appeared to get into the victim’s car with ease, despite the victim’s claim that the vehicle was locked.
“I saw in the video he had a little black thing, but I don’t know how he got in,” he said. “I locked the car.”
The masked man, seen wearing all red, and a gold chain, also has tattoos all the way up both of his arms and neck. One of them is a cross on his right forearm.
The security footage shows the perpetrator as he hopped into a dark-colored minivan with no license plate and took off.
The victim said he returned to his car and quickly noticed the cash was gone, so he called police and looked through footage from a camera in his vehicle.
“He’s looking for the money now,” he said as he showed 7News the footage of the crook rummaging through his belongings.
That’s when the driver realized he had been targeted.
He rewound the footage back and noticed the people in the van had been tailing him since he was at the bank, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The victim said the financial loss hurts, but he doesn’t even want to imagine what could have happened if he hadn’t stopped at the supermarket and the criminals followed him back home instead.
“It might be worse, because I have four kids at home,” he said. “It might have been worse. Maybe he had a gun, you know?”
The victim has filed a police report. Now he hopes someone knows who the crook is and reports him to the police.
If you have any information on this theft or the subject’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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