Miami police say a 50-year-old Hialeah man is behind a run of package thefts at a high-rise Edgewater condo, after detectives followed a trail of surveillance video and fed-up residents’ complaints straight to a white pickup truck. According to investigators, the truck pulled into the building’s loading dock and people were seen hauling away deliveries that had been left by a malfunctioning rear door. Building management told officers the people on camera had zero permission to touch the parcels, adding another aggravation to residents already tired of unsecured deliveries around the city.
According to Local 10, Jose Luis Perez was arrested on April 20 after detectives tied him to thefts at Quantum on the Bay in Edgewater. The arrest report says the thefts took place between Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 at the condominium at 1900 N. Bayshore Drive. Video from Feb. 16 reportedly shows several orange Amazon delivery bags left outside the package room around 5:35 a.m. because the room was already full. Investigators say the overflow packages were placed near a rear loading dock door that was malfunctioning and not properly secured, and multiple residents later reported missing deliveries to the package room supervisor.
Where it happened
Quantum on the Bay is a twin-tower waterfront condominium complex just north of downtown Miami in the Edgewater neighborhood, at 1900 N. Bayshore Drive. Its size and long list of amenities mean the property sees a heavy stream of ecommerce deliveries that can overwhelm the package room when things get busy. Public records and building listings identify the complex at that address, according to Wikipedia.
How police traced the pickup
Detectives reviewed license-plate-reader footage and zeroed in on a white Ford pickup that pulled into the loading-dock area. They learned that the same truck had been stopped by a West Miami officer later that day over a broken taillight. The driver was identified as 35-year-old Vanessa Caridad Rodriguez, with Perez listed as the passenger, police say. Rodriguez was arrested in that traffic stop for driving without a valid license, which investigators noted was her third conviction, and for lacking proof of insurance, and the truck was impounded…