PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Palmetto Bay homeowner has been left reeling after a boat valued at more than $100,000 was stolen from his yard, then found stripped of thousands of dollars in parts, one of two such thefts in Miami-Dade County in less than a day.
7News captured Mike Parker and his young son as they examined the recovered boat, Saturday evening.
“Also they took this?” the boy asked as he pointed at an empty space inside the 27-foot vessel.
“They took our speakers, too, and I can’t listen to music anymore,” Parker replied.
Parker said he and his family are relieved but still furious after Saturday morning’s high-priced heist.
“Really upset,” he said.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the theft took place at the victim’s home near Southwest 90th Avenue, at around 3 a.m.
“I would say it’s a pretty bold move,” said Parker.
Surveillance video suggests the perpetrator is no amateur. He is seen crawling underneath the victim’s pickup truck and tampering with the gear shift.
“He did something to where he put the transmission into neutral that was, I guess, very simple,” said Parker.
The victim’s truck is then seen rolling backwards and into the neighbor’s yard.
The subject is then seen leaving, coming back a short time later with his own truck.
He is then seen securing the 27-foot boat to the back of his pickup before driving off minutes later, dragging the boat behind him.
“It’s probably valued at over $100,000. It’s pushing $120,000 with the new engines,” said Parker.
Fourteen hours after it was stolen, the boat was found in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood stripped of at least $60,000 worth of equipment.
“They stole engines, they stole the radar on top, they stole the GPS,” said Parker. “They stole all of our tackle. They stole all the batteries, steering wheel, the throttles.”
The boat theft took place hours after, police said, a group of thieves stole a Yamaha personal watercraft valued at about $16,000 from a home in Northwest Miami-Dade in broad daylight.
Crisp surveillance video shows at least three men pulling up in a blue pickup truck and breaking the lock on the gate, Friday afternoon. They are then seen backing in, hitching the personal watercraft to the back of their pickup and taking off.
The owner, too shaken up to show his face on camera, said he’d only had it for a few days.
“I’ve had, like, maybe four days with it. I haven’t test drove it yet, nothing. It was brand-new,” he said.
As police investigate both thefts, Parker said he’s grateful to have his boat back, despite what’s missing from it.
“We have a lot of memories with my mom on this boat, who unfortunately passed away a year ago. To have the boat back is awesome,” he said. “It is a little glimpse of light at the end of this day.”
If you have any information on either theft, 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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