Potential thieves were caught on camera in Pinecrest on Thursday morning, prompting police to search for several people.<\/p>\n
Neighbors told CBS News Miami they were shaken after what appeared to be two separate groups targeting homes and cars in the village.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“I immediately got my phone and called 911 to try and get them, hopefully, while they were here or leaving,” she said.<\/p>\n
A few hours earlier, near Old Cutler Road, Pinecrest police say another group attempted to break into<\/a> 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\u2011be thieves to flee back to their car.<\/p>\n “You don’t think that it’s going to happen in a neighborhood like Pinecrest. You think that you are safe,” the homeowner said.<\/p>\n In a statement, the Pinecrest police chief reminded residents about basic crime\u2011prevention steps, saying, “These simple precautions directly contributed to the thieves in both these cases leaving empty-handed.”<\/p>\n The homeowners who scared off the suspects echoed that message.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Police also issued a safety alert noting a third, similar incident in nearby Kendall. Pinecrest police are working with the Miami\u2011Dade Sheriff’s Office <\/a>on that case.<\/p>\n