Police say a man caught on camera stealing everything from cars to boats in Coconut Grove is now behind bars.
Video showed Miguel Rodriguez earlier this week on board a boat in Miami.
"He attempted to hotwire it — took off all the ignition mechanisms, trying to connect all the wires trying, to get the engine started," said the boat's owner Julio Pino.
Back in July, the boating community was on high alert after one boat owner saw on video that someone tried to steal a boat over the holiday weekend. His surveillance camera captured a very good image of the man.
Fortunately, Rodriguez wasn't able to take the boat, but he did leave behind $5,000 in damage.
Pino posted the video on a Facebook page — The South Florida Marina and Boat Watch group that's grown to almost 9,000 members.
"I put them up on Facebook and a friend of mine notified me about the boat watch group. I uploaded it to them and I immediately started getting responses," Pino said.
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Someone on facebook recognized the man in the images.
"Within a day people were calling me on my cellphone and giving me the guy's name and where he lives," Pino said.
Rodriguez was arrested Thursday and charged with 15 felonies. He's accused of recent crimes including stealing a vehicle out a driveway — ripping off the surveillance cameras from a home — and breaking into cars and trucks to steal credit cards and cash. Detectives say he even took a handgun from inside a car.
Police say he was bold about it and he appears not caring that he was being seen on video multiple times.
"People are constantly ripping hardworking individuals," Pino said. "They come on their boats and steal anything and everything they can."
