HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A group of thieves stripped a truck overnight in Hollywood, and as Local 10 News has reported in the past, truck tailgates have been a target for crooks.
This incident happened just after 5 a.m. Thursday, and it should have all been caught on camera.
The problem: these guys knew exactly what they were doing and managed to avoid being captured on video.
"I noticed my tailgate was missing," Harvey Meshel said about the moment he had walked out of his house in Hollywood and noticed something wasn't right. I looked at the side of the vehicle; my mirrors were missing."
Someone used this fire investigator's Ford F-350 as their personal parts depot.
As he walked around the truck, he noticed more and more missing items.
"My grille was taken," Meshel said. "I found nuts and bolts and a $100 tailgate protector that was installed so the tailgate wouldn't be taken on the floor."
This should have been caught on camera.
After all, Meshel parks right under a camera, and even had special lights in his yard.
But the thieves had a plan.
"I have almost an aircraft landing light that lights up the house,(but) they turned it," Meshel said. "They went behind my truck and moved them so you could not see."
Police said they were able to lift fingerprints off Meshel's truck and the damages are estimated to be more than $5,000.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.