HIALEAH, Fla. – It was in the parking lot of an IHOP on Biscayne Bay where about $60,000 worth of photography equipment was taken from Bobby Weitzner's vehicle earlier this month.
"I was just thinking this would be my chance to get my business back, my life back, my livelihood," Weitzner said.
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He didn't sit idle when it happened.
Weitzner, who is a professional photographer, got the surveillance video of the parking lot.
He alerted police that the drone he spotted for sale on a webpage appeared to be the one stolen from his vehicle.
He spoke to detectives and they were able to set up an undercover lunchtime operation on Tuesday in a busy Hialeah shopping center.
Detectives set up a fake buy – and a very real takedown -- in the parking lot in the 800 block of Hialeah Drive.
A man, who was driving a Dodge, was their person of interest because of a professional drone he had listed for sale on a website.
"I went from having a successful business and clients and money in my bank account and now all of this stuff is gone," Weitzner said. "And honestly, the drone is the least valuable part of it when you put the dollar amounts up."
Police said the man was questioned and then was released after it was discovered that the drone was not stolen.
"It's just really frustrating. I've seemingly found my stuff and now it's like there's no point to anything I've worked for in the last few years," he said.
Weitzner's hope had been that the drone would lead him to the rest of his equipment, including his laptops.