VIRGINIA GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A porch pirate forced his way inside a Virginia Gardens home to steal a package from a woman’s grasp.
The incident happened along the 6600 block of Northwest 40th Street, at around noon, Wednesday.
Isbel Ramon said she received a package from UPS, and after a few minutes, another man came to her home and claimed the package was his.
“I’m still in shock, to be honest. I’m still shaky,” Ramon said.
The package was addressed to Maikel Fernandez, Ramon’s stepfather.
“I want to check out a package that was delivered here by mistake,” the man said in the video. “It says it was delivered here.”
“I have a package that came, but it’s not yours,” Ramon said in the video.
The man then seems to trip over his words when he tells her what his name is.
“But it says Maikel Fernandez,” Ramon said to the man.
“I’m Maikel … I’m Michael Fernandez — not Maikel,” the man said in the video. “That’s my package. I can show you now.”
Ramon later went inside, grabbed the package and came back to the door — though she knew something wasn’t quite right.
In the moments not captured on camera, Ramon said the man shoved her after she came back with the package.
“He shoved me in, and I pushed him,” she said. “He grabbed me, snatched it from my arm, and he went running.”
Ramon called Virginia Gardens Police, and they would arrive soon after.
The Ring surveillance camera captured her on the phone with 911.
“He came in and robbed me in front of my house,” Ramon said in the video.
The return address on the label belonged to a jewelry company.
Fernandez said he called the company and found out someone had used his information to buy more than $5,000 worth of merchandise under his name.
“He was very aware when the package would arrive,” Fernandez said, “tried to get it directly from UPS, which UPS confirmed to me that’s what happened. [He] wasn’t able to do that because there was a signature required. When my daughter got the package and signed for it, he tried to convince my daughter that the package was for him, and when he couldn’t get it, he forced his way in and stole the package.”
Ramon said she is still in shock hours after the incident happened.
She was left with a scratch and hopes the man will be caught.
“He deserves to be in jail right now. If he’s doing it to us, he might do it to other people,” Ramon said.
Ramon said she was able to write down the man’s license plate and gave it to police.
Police said they are investigating the theft.
If you have any information on this robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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