POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida man is hoping surveillance video will help authorities catch the men caught on camera stealing his 30-boat from outside his home, Friday morning.
Rafael Arvelo, an avid boater, said a neighbor alerted him about the theft. “I got a phone call from my neighbor across the street asking me if the boat had been taken out,” he said. “I said ‘no,’ so I met him out here at 4:06 or 4:07 in the morning. The boat was gone.”
Surveillance video shows several subjects walking into the yard of Arvelo’s Pompano Beach home and stealing the pricey vessel.
The brazen thieves took a long time to hitch up the boat and take off. “We find out that those guys were here for a little over an hour,” said Arvelo, “back and forth, back and forth, working, trying to break the lock, and they finally took it.”
Arvelo said the boat has distinguishing features. “Thirty-foot boat with two twin 300 engines and big sailfish decal in the middle of it,” he said. “It’s about $170,000, $180,000.”
Arvelo said his boat was discovered stripped down in West Palm Beach, Saturday. The engine is gone.
Now this boat owner is hoping somebody will catch these crooks. “To come over to somebody’s house, in a nice neighborhood, and actually spend an hour like you own the place, it’s, like, unbelievable,” he said.
If you have any information on this theft, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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