MIAMI (WSVN) - A mother dropping off her son for his first day of kindergarten said she left her purse in the car for minutes, but it was enough time for a crook to make a stealthy steal.
Police advise that all parents take their belongings with them as they pick-up and drop-off their children at school.
One working mother, who did not want to be identified, learned that lesson the hard way after her purse was stolen from her car on Monday.
“At first, I wanted to cry. Then I just got angry,” the victim said. “I’m like, ‘Why, why do they do this?'”
The first day of kindergarten was supposed to be special for her and her son, but it was tainted after this robbery.
Surveillance video outside the Ebenezer Learning Center showed part of the crime happening near Southwest Fourth Street and Le Jeune Road.
“You don’t expect that to happen on the first day,” the victim said. “It’s a really exciting day, not only for me as a mom, but for my baby, he only goes to kinder once.”
The mother said when she returned to her car after taking her son inside, she saw that her car window had been broken and her purse was gone.
“Like five minutes,” she said. “Everything was in there. A woman carries her life in her purse.”
Pictures taken after the crime showed the busted window and glass on the floor.
Cameras outside the learning center showed a gray two-door car reversing next to the victim’s vehicle, as if it was parking. But then, cameras captured a person getting out of the driver’s side, and then seconds later, the car zoomed off.
“I left my purse on the floor in the back seat,” the victim said. “I mean, how is he gonna know that? He went right to it.”
As if getting her purse stolen wasn’t bad enough, inside the bag was half her paycheck in cash.
“I’m left with nothing. I was waiting for the first week of school for them to tell me what I needed to buy, and now, I don’t have anything,” she said.
Police are asking the public for help in identifying the person driving the gray vehicle.
This mother said she’s still trying to wrap her mind around the crime and even had to explain what happened to her son.
“He was very excited. It just ruined the entire day,” the victim 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 $1,000 reward.
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