South Florida has witnessed an alarming rise in crimes involving jewelry theft, particularly targeting senior citizens.
In a series of incidents, robbers are taking advantage of the elderly by pretending to offer them gifts, only to snatch their valuable jewelry.
In one such incident in Hialeah, Florida, Lyliam Cruz became the unsuspecting victim of a cunning heist. While she was occupied cleaning outside her residence, an unidentified woman approached her with a sad story and an offer of jewelry as a gift. However, rather than gifting, the woman stealthily stole the gold chain Cruz was wearing as she was putting the “gift” chain on her neck. A surveillance video recorded the offender making a getaway in what appeared to be a gray or white car.
Westchester, Florida has also reported similar incidents. In a recent case, an 88-year-old man became the victim of a deceitful woman who, under the guise of gifting, stole from him.
But these sly thefts are not the only jewelry-related crimes the area has seen recently. A much more audacious crime took place in Hialeah earlier. Lourdes Diaz, 55, and her son Julian Flores, 24, were arrested in connection with an armed robbery that netted them over $800,000 in jewelry. This incident took place at a beauty salon on September 16. The surveillance footage showed Flores, dressed entirely in black and donning a face mask, menacingly approaching a salon worker as she was departing work. When she resisted handing over a box filled with valuable gold jewelry, Flores resorted to violence, hitting her hands with the gun he was carrying.
The crime by Diaz and Flores demonstrates a disturbing level of premeditation. Investigators revealed that Diaz had spent months befriending the owner of a jewelry business in Hialeah in a bid to gain her trust. Their criminal enterprise culminated on September 16, when Flores made his violent move, assisted by the information and trust his mother had managed to cultivate.
These escalating crimes have put residents, especially the elderly, on high alert. The repeated use of deceit, coupled with the sheer audacity of some of these thefts, underscores the importance of community vigilance and cooperation with local law enforcement.
Authorities are actively investigating the incidents and are seeking information from the public to aid their efforts.
With the rise in these jewelry theft incidents, law enforcement agencies are urging residents, particularly the elderly, to exercise caution, be wary of strangers offering gifts, and to report any suspicious activity immediately.