Family pleads for return of their stolen car

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Surveillance cameras were rolling as a family's vehicle was stolen from their home while they slept.

The men were driven to steal, and a family woke up to find the car they worked so hard to own was now gone.

Surveillance footage showed two men standing outside the Miami home. They checked their surroundings, talked out their plan before taking the opportunity to make a move. "I see the people coming in through the back," said Aileen Otero-Soto, "through the side of the house, I see them come in. I see them try to open the door through, the key chain. I see that they can't."

The persistent thieves tried to open the door first but had no luck. They ducked, using the car for cover as other cars passed by. After a few attempts at breaking in, they took drastic measures. "I see them try to open the hood," said Otero-Soto. "I see that they can't."

The men finally decided to break the window of the car. "I see them break the window," said Otero-Soto. "They jump in, they jump out."

Smashing the window allowed one man to to climb in and put the car in neutral, and then, together, they slowly pushed the vehicle quietly into the street. "Yeah, at first I couldn't believe it," said Otero-Soto. "When my father-in-law got here he told me, 'Hey, where is your husband's car?' and I said, 'I don't know,' and I go outside and see it's not there, and when I walk around I see the glass, the entire broken glass on the floor."

The family moved into the home only seven months ago. They never imagined that such a crime would happen in their quiet neighborhood.

Despite the surveillance system, the feeling of seeing their car taken has the family on edge. "It's very upsetting," said Otero-Soto, "because I work hard for everything I have, and I don't want people who don't work for anything to just come and take it from me."

Their only hope now is that police can catch the men who did this and return the vehicle they desperately need. "I want the car," said Otero-Soto. "I don't care. I just want the criminals off the street. I want to be able to go to sleep at night and not worry that my car is going to get stolen or that something is going to be missing when I wake up."

If you have any information on the stolen vehicle, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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