What to Know
- Residents of a retirement community in Miami Gardens are frustrated with ongoing theft.
- A vehicle's tires were stolen early Wednesday.
- Police said it has a sufficient presence in the area.
Some residents of a Miami Gardens retirement community are frustrated as another theft of tires occurred Wednesday and are asking for increased police presence.
The theft of the tires from the Nissan Altima of a resident of the community near Andover Park was reported at about 4:30 a.m. The thieves were able to complete their illicit task in about 10 minutes – leaving the vehicle on cement blocks.
Other residents said rims have been removed and some cars have vanished altogether.
"This year in January they stole the rims for the same car, and then I put the new ones with the tires and they were stolen last night," owner Willy Da Silva said.
Da Silva also reported that one of his vehicles was stolen last year. Police were able to track down the car, but it was stripped down.
Wilfredo Medina, another resident, hopes surveillance cameras will help catch the thieves, even as the cameras were not able to deter.
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"They rob the tires. They steal the cars," Medina said. "Two cars got stolen in January. Another car got stolen from my building here in December."
The Miami Gardens Police Department said it is investigating the theft to "determine the frequency of this type of crime within the area of concern."
Amid criticism there are not enough police in the area, the MGPD said that it is "adequately staffed and continues to address the needs of the community."
Medina suggested more could be done.
"We don't see any patrol cars coming through here, especially during the night," Medina said.
