FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Police are investigating a theft after surveillance cameras captured the moment a thief stole a Fort Lauderdale man’s trailer outside his business.
According to Mike Terango, his 22-foot blue and silver trailer was stolen Saturday morning from a fenced-in yard next to his business, located along the 900 block of Northwest 51st Place.
“Saturday morning, at 5:50 a.m., somebody pulled up, saw the trailer and figured they were gonna steal it,” he said.
The trailer, Terango said, held two four-wheelers and tools.
“It’s a lot of money with the trailer and the ATCs, you’re probably talking $50,000 to $75,000,” he said.
According to the surveillance video, obtained exclusively by 7News, a man pulls up in a truck, slides the gate open, hooks the trailer up and drives out.
The perpetrator only stopped to close the gate behind him before he took off.
The whole thing took less than 10 minutes.
“I’m not sure if he knew the four-wheelers were in there, if he was looking for the four-wheelers, or looking for a trailer and just got lucky the four-wheelers were in there,” Terango said. “We usually don’t leave them in there. They just happened to be for a couple of days and just got unlucky, and the trailer was stolen at the same time.”
It is unclear if the thief knew what was inside the trailer.
“Two race ATVs valued at $15,000, $20,000 a piece, a little bit of race equipment and some tools and stuff,” said Terrango.
The good news for Terango is that a security camera captured the image of the man’s face.
“Single guy. All by himself. I guess, just looking for a new trailer,” said Terrango.
Terango is familiar with cars and believes the one involved in the theft was a 2009 black GMC Yukon with chrome wheels.
Now, Terango simply wants his trailer back and is offering a cash reward if he gets it back.
“We’re going to do our best to find out who you are, and I’m offering $10,000 cash reward to lead to his arrest,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I’m not even interested in getting the equipment back; it’s more to get the guy that did it, to prevent it from happening again to someone else.”
If you have any information on this theft or the subject’s whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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