Footage released Monday shows the moment a South Florida resident caught a mail thief red-handed on a surveillance camera.
The thief has repeatedly targeted homes in the Southwest Ranches neighborhood in Broward County, according to reports from Local10 News. One of the thief’s alleged victims, Alex Perez, detailed how he had checks stolen and cashed, documents stolen and his mail ransacked for months on end.
“I’m tired of people coming in and trying to take my stuff, so I’m going to catch them,” Perez told Local10 News. Perez noted that he’s repeatedly been hit with identity theft issues and his local mailman said around 30 mailboxes have been targeted.
After it happened yet again, Perez set up a series of cameras and other security devices around his home.
“I did a specific camera for the mailbox. I’ve got (a license plate reader) and I’ve also got a specific camera aiming to the mailbox,” Perez described. “He’s not just aiming to hit my house. If you see the video surveillance, he hit all the mailboxes down the street.”
He further claimed that cars on the street had been targeted too.
“I put lasers around the house. I put lasers in the backyard. I put cameras all over,” he said. “You don’t want to live like that, but you have to. Nowadays, you have to live like that. One feels a little helpless.”
The footage captured by Perez’s camera system shows a shorter man with a dark beard opening his mailbox and going through it. It’s unclear whether the same thief has been the repeat offender, as other footage shows at least two people running around Perez’s property. (RELATED: Police Arrest Florida Pastor For Allegedly Defrauding Church To Fund Drug Habit)
Mail thieves have reportedly been targeting homes all over South Florida. One man was arrested in late February in connection with several mail thefts, NBC2 reported. In January, a mail worker was arrested on federal charges for allegedly stealing more than 4,000 pieces of mail, FOX 13 noted.