NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An aspiring pilot is sharing his ordeal after a car burglar raided his vehicle and made off with some important goods, including his pilot’s license.
Sami Madanat knew from an early age what he wanted to be.
“These airplanes are my job. They’re my future dream to fly, and he stole that from me. He stole my dream from me,” Madanat said.
That dream is now grounded after someone took off with his pilot’s logbook and student credentials.
“He goes to the back door of my vehicle, and he grabs my two cameras, my logbook,” Madanat said.
Last Thursday, surveillance cameras were rolling as a man staked out Madanat’s car at a parking lot off Northwest 25th Street and Palmetto Expressway.
The suspect checked the door handle and realized the door was unlocked.
A few seconds later, he snaged roughly $10,000 in cameras and, more importantly, Madanat’s pilot bag.
“I got outside, drive off, I notice that the cameras are missing,” Madanat said.
It wasn’t until he saw the parking lot surveillance footage when he realized what happened.
“Twenty seconds,” he said about how long it took.
The burglar and his getaway driver, who was waiting in a blue sedan, noticed Madanat had forgot to lock his car door.
Now that aspiring pilot is hoping that the burglar and his partner feel some remorse.
“You can keep the cameras. I don’t really need the cameras. I just need my logbook. That’s all I need,” Madanat said.
If you have any information on this theft, 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.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.