Surveillance footage captured an Uber Eats driver appearing to take several packages from the entrance of an apartment building in Miami.
Speaking with 7News, Anthony Barrios, the owner of Vintage Liquors, a fine wine store inside the building, saw the incident unfold on his cameras.
“He sees some packages there. He decides, ‘Oh, why not get himself an early Christmas gift,’” he said. “We’re not talking about knick-knacks, we’re talking about real Christmas gifts for your father, for your mother.”
Barrios said the theft happened outside of an elevator in the building located at 300 SW 18th Terr. where his fine wine store operates, Dec. 5.
“He sees the packages were there, clicks,” said Barrios.
The liquor store owner says the man was delivering an order to a salon on another floor when he saw the packages next the elevator across from his store.
“He knows he has to make a delivery so in his head, he’s like, ‘I’m gonna drop it off, come back down and then just pick it up and leave,’” said Barrios.
Surveillance video shows the man later exiting the elevator on the bottom floor before turning toward the corner where the packages were stacked up.
“He lunges this way, he picks up his packages, our packages, and walks out like if it’s his own,” said Barrios.
Moments later, he’s seen carrying the boxes out the door and placing them into the back seat of his vehicle.
Barrios said those packages were meant for residential tenants of apartments in the building.
He said they’ve since reported the incident to Miami Police and to Uber.
“We’ve made the report through Uber, the police report and now we’re reaching out to you,” he said.
The owners of Vintage Liquors also reached out to 7News back in 2023.
“He was a man with a plan. He came in, went straight into the whiskey aisle,” said Rosi Barrios in 2023.
In that incident, a man walked into the store while on his phone and made a beeline for the store’s expensive whiskey aisle, stuffing multiple bottles in his pants before walking out.
This time, they’re hoping all the extra security measures will help authorities identify the man.
“We have cameras in every angle, we have it all covered,” said Barrios. “When someone comes in and just takes it, whether it’s a liquor bottle or a package, it hits deep.”
If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.