FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man and a woman wanted in connection to a string of burglaries across three Florida counties have apparently carried out more illegal home shopping sprees in South Florida than previously thought.
Residents at a neighborhood along Okeechobee Lane in Fort Lauderdale said they were targeted on Monday, just before 3 p.m.
“Makes you mad. Makes you very angry,” said Sherry, one of the homeowners.
Surveillance cameras captured the duo outside of the victim’s home. The woman is seen standing at the front door, and the man, seen wearing a gray hoodie with “Alaska” printed on it, is seen in the driveway.
Within minutes, Sherry said, they broke into her home.
“Why did they break in my windows? Easy target, whatever it was,” said the victim, who did not give out her last name.
But Sherry said the duo got away with nothing.
“They did break my back windows. They got in, but they didn’t get anything,” she said.
The Fort Lauderdale break-ins took place two days before surveillance cameras captured the burglars at a house along Wiley Street in Hollywood, Wednesday.
The security footage shows the woman ringing the doorbell to make sure no one is home. When the coast is clear, the man, wearing the same Alaska hoodie, is seen breaking in through the bathroom window.
Once inside, another camera captured him in a bedroom going through drawers and a safe that, the homeowner said, turned out to be empty.
The victim said the perpetrator took about $28 in change and took off after he set off the alarm.
Authorities believe the same duo broke into a house in Northeast Miami-Dade later that day in the same way.
The victim said he tried to chase after the man, who fled the scene in a dark gray BMW driven by a woman believed to be his accomplice.
Police also believe they also burglarized homes in Port St. Lucie and Palm City on April 12.
Port St. Lucie Police put out a flier with surveillance stills of a man wearing what looks like the same Alaska sweatshirt, light jeans and shoes worn by the crook in the South Florida break-ins.
While the duo remain on the loose, residents who were targeted in Fort Lauderdale said they now fear for their safety.
“You don’t know if they are armed, or if they’re going to break your window and you’re sleeping or just watching TV, and someone is going and blow your brains away,” said another homeowner, “so it’s a little scary.”
If you have any information on any of these burglaries, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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