NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida woman hopes surveillance video will help police catch the man who was seen snatching an iPhone that, she said, she was trying to sell to him in North Miami Beach.
The victim, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, described the moment she met the man who, she said, had agreed to purchase her cellphone outside of her home along East Drive, near Northwest 173rd Street, just after 6:30 p.m., Wednesday.
The woman said the potential buyer had reached out to her on the OfferUp app on Wednesday.
Referring to the iPhone, a text from the thief reads, “Hi, is this still available?”
“I told him, ‘Yes, it is,'” said the victim.
The woman said she gave the subject the price of $750.
“He said, ‘Now that I can do,'” she said.
The two arranged to meet in front of her home on Wednesday evening.
The security footage captured the woman talking to the potential buyer on the sidewalk near her driveway. Several feet away, a gray Infiniti sedan with tinted windows and a sunroof sat idle.
The woman said she noticed two other people sitting in the car.
“So I said, ‘Where’s the money?’ I said it twice, ‘Where’s the money?'” she said.
The victim said the buyer got out of the car and started asking questions about the iPhone for sale.
The video shows the man reaching for the phone.
“So I got distracted. He snatched the phone out of my hands,” said the woman.
The man is seen turning away from the victim and running toward the passenger side of the Infiniti. The victim is seen running after him.
“I went after him. I grabbed him by the shirt, and he just dragged me for like a few seconds, and that’s when the car’s back tire ran over my left foot,” she said.
7News cameras captured the woman’s bruised left foot.
The victim said she’s in pain and out $750 but thankful she wasn’t seriously hurt.
“I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me, because I have sold a lot of stuff in OfferUp, and never in my entire life has that happened to me,” she said.
The victim said this will never happen to her again. She said the next time she meets a potential buyer, it will be in a safe spot, like in front of the North Miami Beach Police Department.
The woman said the thief used the name “Tony Simon” in OfferUp, but she doubts that’s his real name. She hopes someone will recognize the man in the video and calls police.
If you have any information on this theft or the subject’s whereabouts, call North Miami Beach Police at 305-949-5500 or 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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