HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Surveillance cameras captured the moments a car was stolen from outside a Broward County synagogue.
The thief is first spotted driving up and then reaching over to try to open the door of the empty car.
And when that worked, he makes his move to go in for more.
“The key must’ve been by the floor or driver’s seat so he got lucky,” said victim Susana Kenigsberg.
The crime happened last Thursday.
Kenigsberg said she parked her car at the synagogue on the 3600 block of Stirling Road in Hollywood.
While she was inside, a man ditched the vehicle he was in and hopped into Kenigsberg’s BMW before driving off.
“I panicked, I felt unsafe, violated,” she said. “It’s something that belongs to me, it was gone in a matter of minutes in a place you wouldn’t think.”
It’s what was inside the car that is really bothering Kenigsberg, some sentimental, irreplaceable items that were inside a gym bag.
“My grandmother’s ring that my father gave me after she passed away, another one is my mom’s ring that she gave me for my birthday and then my engagement and wedding bands,” she said.
The car did have a GPS tracking system and was miles away in northwest Miami-Fade before police arrived.
Surveillance cameras showed the shirtless suspect changing his clothes and waiting for a ride.
He’s seen being picked up by a woman in a Honda Civic and the pair disappear with those valuables that have a special connection to Kenigsberg’s heart and family.
“I would do anything to get them back,” she said.
Anyone with information or who thinks they recognize the crook is asked to call Hollywood police or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.