The two men at the front door wore dark clothing. One man’s vest said FBI, the other man wore a ball cap with the letters NYC.
They may have looked like law enforcement officers when they backed into the driveway of a Miami Lakes home in a Chevrolet Silverado about noon on Jan. 30, but they were “police impersonators involved in a home invasion robbery,” according to Miami-Dade police.
One give-away: The pickup’s license plate was covered.
Surveillance video released by the agency Wednesday shows what happened outside the residence on the 15000 block of Northwest 87th Court.
The men park in the wide, paver-tiled driveway surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes and tropical landscaping. As the man with the NYC ball cap knocks at the door, the other man appears to tighten his jacket to cover up the bullet-proof vest showing the letters FBI. A hand from inside swings the door open and the two men go inside.
A short time later, one of the two drags a dark-colored duffel bag outside. His partner and another three bags soon follow.
The two got away with about $30,000 in jewelry and other items.
The man and woman inside the home told news outlets that the two men shepherded them into a bathroom and told them to stay there.
The two don’t live in the home — one was a housekeeper and the other was doing contracting work, WSVN-Ch. 7 reported.
The man who owns the home, who asked only to be identified as Anthony, told WFOR-Ch. 4 the two workers were not hurt but were shaken up, as he is.
“I feel really violated by these men. My emotions are running high with the frustration they put on my family. I am really scared. I have a 5-year-old son and we are watching out now. I know I was targeted. This was not random,” he told the station.
It’s unclear how legitimate the items worn by the two thieves were compared to what actual law enforcement personnel wear, but getting real police gear can be difficult, police told WSVN.
“You have to be identified by the police department and you have to have identification with with picture ID on it,” Miami-Dade Police Officer Angel Rodriguez told the station.
Police ask anyone with information about this crime or the identity of the two men to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.