A man has been arrested for stealing an SUV with two young kids inside in northwest Miami-Dade last month in a crime that was caught on camera, police said.
Jorge Casola-Martinez, 19, was arrested Monday on two counts of kidnapping, grand theft, and grand theft of a vehicle charges, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
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The theft happened back on Jan. 22 when Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office officials said the mother went into a business on Northwest 50th Street near 71st Avenue and left her SUV running outside with her 2-year-old and 6-year-old in the backseat.
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Surveillance video showed the mother walking into the business, with her SUV blocked from the camera's view by a large white box truck.
Moments later, a silver vehicle, a Hyundai Palisade, pulled up and a person in a hoodie jumped out of the backseat and ran toward the white Mitsubishi SUV.
The silver vehicle quickly pulled away, followed by the stolen SUV with the kids inside.
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The SUV was found about 12 minutes later with the two children safe inside at Northwest 47th Street and Northwest 74th Avenue.
Investigators said the woman had picked up 175 iPhones worth over $77,000 from a business on Northwest 68th Street and was delivering them at the address where the SUV was stolen.
According to an arrest report, the silver Palisade was seen at the business on Northwest 68th Street near the woman's SUV when she picked the phones up.
Investigators used surveillance video to identify the Palisade's license plate
and discovered it had been rented, and said Casola-Martinez's credit card had been used to rent it, the report said.
Detectives determined Casola-Martinez was the man who stole the SUV with the kids inside after video showed him wearing the same clothes as the suspect, the report said.
The report also noted that the box of iPhone was gone when the abandoned SUV was found.
Casola-Martinez was arrested and booked into jail.
In bond court Tuesday, it was learned Casola-Martinez was already out on bond in three other cases involving multiple charges of grand theft and burglary.
A judge ordered him held without bond and appointed him a public defender.
