Woman steals Christmas presents delivered to southwest Miami-Dade home

Surveillance video captures theft

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade police are searching for the Grinch who stole Christmas presents that were dropped off at a family's home Monday by a UPS driver in southwest Miami-Dade.

Home surveillance video shows a heavy-set woman getting out of a black car, walking up to the front door and picking up the package.

"It's sad because it's happening around Christmas time," the victim, who did not want to be identified, said.

The victim said the woman must have seen the UPS truck pull up. and then waited until iy left to make her move.

"(She) saw the UPS truck, got out of the car, came, took the package and left," the victim said.

The family said they are not that hurt about the gifts, but really about the lack of respect for property and for the Christmas spirit. 

"It was just the idea that my mom gets really excited for Christmas, and for someone to take that away from her, that's what makes me really sad," the victim said.

And it's not the first time a such an incident has taken place. 

Kathy Fernandez had packages stolen from her home. 

The incident was caught on a surveillance video, and shows a woman calmly organizing packages that don't belong to her in the trunk of her car. 

"Not only did she help herself to our packages, but she tried to maneuver them so that they all fit," Fernandez said. "Apparently, she had other packages in there and ours didn't all fit." 

A few minutes after the woman left, a man in another car drove up to pick up the box that was left behind. 

Another homeowner described their experience, as cameras captured a car pulling up to their home and a person from the car coming out and taking Christmas gifts that were dropped off. 

"It's the time of the season when the Grinch always shows up," Peter Monck, a neighbor, said. 

Anyone with information to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.


About the Authors:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.