Police have arrested a man who they say was responsible for multiple car thefts in Hialeah and was caught on surveillance footage.
Gilberto Gonzalez Lopez, 23, faces multiple charges of grand theft of a vehicle and burglary, according to online records.
“Three stolen vehicles, one burglary breaking inside a vehicle and taking articles from within and the fifth case is in possession of a stolen vehicle out of the City of Miami,” said Sergeant Jose Torres, a spokesperson with the Hialeah Police Department.
According to the arrest report, from July 25 to Aug. 2, Gonzalez was caught on surveillance cameras going all across the City of Hialeah scoping out cars.
One of the car thefts happened the night of July 25 on West 29th Street near West 4th Avenue in Hialeah.
Kenia Martinez says her daughter parked her Nissan Altima in the garage of their apartment complex, and when they woke up, it was gone. The car was eventually recovered but was vandalized.
On July 30, Gonzalez is also accused of stealing another car, a gold Chevy Suburban, from an apartment complex along West 18th Court in Hialeah.
“One of the vehicles, he stole it twice. He stole it once and we recovered it. He steals it again and we recover it again,” Torres said. “One of our detectives recognized this individual because he’s dealt with him on regular occasions, so he put a BOLO out. He finds him and they take him into custody and bring him into the detective bureau, where this individual now confesses to the crimes he committed.”
On Tuesday, Gonzalez was seen on surveillance video checking car doors in the area of West 3rd Avenue and 9th Street in Hialeah. One victim had tools stolen from their car.
During the crimes, police say Gonzalez was driving a blue BMW that was also stolen out of Miami.
“Exactly how the individual got in is unknown, but I will tell you that a lot of the community is leaving their doors open or they’re leaving their key fobs inside the car which is obviously a no-no,” Torres said.
On Thursday, a judge found probable cause on all five charges and Gonzalez is being held on a $25,000 bond.
