Miami Beach Car Thieves Caught on Camera Stealing and Crashing a Range Rover
“Don’t steal. But if you’re gonna steal, at least do it correctly.” — Miami Beach resident Gabriel Dib
A Troubling Pattern on Miami Beach
Miami Beach residents are grappling with a spike in brazen car thefts, a trend marked not only by boldness but also by recklessness. In one recent incident, two thieves were caught on camera stealing a Range Rover from the driveway of Gabriel Dib’s home before crashing it into their own accomplice’s vehicle during their getaway.
Dib, speaking to local reporters, described the thieves’ tactics: they arrive in high-end cars like Teslas or BMWs, scout neighborhoods, and then target unlocked luxury vehicles. “They’ll look at what houses have what cars unlocked, and once they do figure out a car that’s unlocked, they’ll get down and try and open it,” he said.
The surveillance video from Dib’s home shows the thieves’ clumsy execution. One man slid into the Range Rover, backed it out of the driveway, and promptly smashed into the car his partner had arrived in before fleeing the scene. Despite the fumble, the pair got away.
Police Confirm a Larger Trend
Miami Beach Police confirmed that these thefts often involve coordinated teams: one car is already stolen, while a second person hops out to seize another. Investigators say they’ve been able to recover several vehicles, including Dib’s Range Rover, stolen twice in the same month, but arrests remain elusive.
Authorities stress that residents are inadvertently making themselves targets by leaving cars unlocked or, worse, leaving keys inside. Dib admitted his own family made this mistake. “On our part, it was a mistake. My dad left the car keys inside the car, which is something you definitely shouldn’t do,” he said.
Beyond One Household: A Widespread Concern
This problem extends well beyond Dib’s block. On September 16, in Biscayne Point’s Cleveland Road neighborhood, surveillance cameras captured a BMW pulling into a driveway while a thief crouched low, sneaking into a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Fortunately, the vehicle’s owner, social media influencer and car enthusiast Brez Scales, had not left the key fob inside, forcing the thieves to leave empty-handed.
For Dib’s family, repeated theft has turned costly. Though police recovered their Range Rover twice, the vehicle’s wiring was damaged to the point of being a total loss. “The times that we’ve gotten our car stolen, we’ve gotten it back pretty quickly, so I want to say thank you to the police. They’ve done a great job,” Dib acknowledged.
Security Tightens, But Risks Remain
In response to the wave of thefts, Biscayne Point residents have ramped up security by adding armed guards and coordinating closely with Miami Beach Police. Still, officers emphasize that prevention starts with simple precautions: locking doors and never leaving keys inside.
Dib offered the same blunt advice to his neighbors: “Just have your cars locked.”
