Potential thieves were caught on camera in Pinecrest on Thursday morning, prompting police to search for several people.
Neighbors told CBS News Miami they were shaken after what appeared to be two separate groups targeting homes and cars in the village.
Just before 7:30 a.m., one homeowner captured video of people trying to break into her home. Surveillance footage shows a person dressed in dark clothing and wearing a mask running toward her gate.
“I got scared because I knew my husband was outside going to work and I wasn’t sure what they were doing,” the homeowner said.
A second camera angle shows two people getting out of a black car and rushing toward the property. As they attempt to jump the fence, the homeowner’s husband yells at them, sending them running back to the vehicle.
“I immediately got my phone and called 911 to try and get them, hopefully, while they were here or leaving,” she said.
A few hours earlier, near Old Cutler Road, Pinecrest police say another group attempted to break into a Cadillac Escalade parked outside a home. When they found it locked, they went inside the unlocked residence instead. The home’s security system activated, prompting the would‑be thieves to flee back to their car.
“You don’t think that it’s going to happen in a neighborhood like Pinecrest. You think that you are safe,” the homeowner said.
In a statement, the Pinecrest police chief reminded residents about basic crime‑prevention steps, saying, “These simple precautions directly contributed to the thieves in both these cases leaving empty-handed.”
The homeowners who scared off the suspects echoed that message.
“Be vigilant. Keep your doors locked, your cars locked, and if you can get alarms around the house, the perimeter fencing, I would say do that,” one said.
Police also issued a safety alert noting a third, similar incident in nearby Kendall. Pinecrest police are working with the Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office on that case.