WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida widow was left devastated after, she said, a crook was caught on camera stealing her late husband’s vintage Corvette on Mother’s Day.
Barbara Garrett said she was at her daughter’s house celebrating the holiday on Sunday when her neighbor called asking if she was expecting her husband’s 1958 Corvette to be towed from her West Miami-Dade home.
“I feel sorry for my neighbor’s ear because I screamed in the phone ‘No!'” said Garrett, “but I couldn’t believe someone was actually stealing my car.”
Garrett said she immediately left her daughter’s house and got home as soon as she could, but it was too late. The vintage model, which had been parked in a carport, was long gone.
Surveillance video from a nearby home captured the moments beforehand. The footage shows a tow truck driving by. Minutes later, the tow truck is seen leaving — only this time, the Corvette was on its bed.
“And they managed to get through both locks and haul the car out of here,” said Garrett.
Garrett said her late husband’s Corvette was set to go to her grandson.
“He bought it when he was maybe 20, 21 years old, and we’ve had it all these years, 60 years,” said Garrett.
Now, she hopes someone will come forward with information that can help crack this case.
“We were just trying to start to fix it up, and somebody just came in and messed us completely up,” said Garrett. “It makes you not want to leave the house.”
The widow described the Corvette as a precious piece of family history that’s worth a lot more to them than its Blue Book value.
“Sentimentally, it can’t be replaced. The value of it can’t be replaced,” she said. “Sure, we can get another car, but it’s not going to be the same.”
Garrett has filed a police report. She is asking anyone who knows anything to contact Miami-Dade Police.
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.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.