MIAMI (WSVN) – A 13-year-old girl woke up to find a masked intruder in her bedroom who then took off with her cellphone and wallet, her parents and police said, leaving neighbors in her Miami neighborhood on edge.
Speaking with 7News off camera, the teen’s parents said the man came in through their daughter’s bedroom window at their home on Northwest 10th Avenue and 48th Street, at around 4 a.m. on Monday.
“This man came into the house all dressed in black, had a ski mask on, so you couldn’t see the facial features,” said Miami Police Officer Michael Vega. “The young girl was sleeping, and we don’t know what his intentions were.”
The teen’s parents said their daughter woke up to see the strange man, and the subject ran out when her father came running over to the bedroom.
Police said the perpetrator left the victim’s home with her valuables.
Neighbors were left shaken by the home invasion.
“Something like that, it’s just – was like a shock to me, because I’ve been around here for 50 years, and that type of stuff doesn’t happen around here,” said an area resident.
“Thank God that nothing happened to this 13-year-old, but just imagine: You wake up, and there’s a stranger inside your house,” said Vega. “It’s scary, it’s alarming, and we’re on the case.
The girl’s mother told 7News that police found her wallet down the block, and she later tracked the phone using Find My iPhone. It wasn’t far away.
When the teen’s mother drove by, she said, she saw a man holding her daughter’s phone with a distinct silver phone case. She called 911 and took a picture.
“Hours later, they located the phone inside a trash bin. A person was detained but was not arrested,” said Vega.
This turn of events is frustrating for the teen’s family, but they have faith detectives will arrest the subject soon.
“This is a case where it’s going to be on latent prints, so we have processed the scene, we’ve processed the phone, we’ve processed the wallet to see if we get any fingerprints and we can match those to the offender,” said Vega.
Police hope this incident serves as another reminder for families to double check all of their windows and doors
“This is a perfect time to check your homes. Make sure that all your windows are locked and that your doors are locked,” said Vega.
An area resident told 7News that she has seen the man in the picture that the teen’s mother took walking in the neighborhood before.
If you have any information on this home invasion or the subject’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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