Store owner says thief stole $6K after being followed from ATM

By Sheldon Fox, Kevin Boulandier, Jessica Holly

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    NORTH MIAMI, Florida (WSVN) — A crafty thief is being looked for after he broke into a store owner’s car and took off with an envelope full of cash.

The dollar store swipe occurred in the parking lot of the 1 Dream 99-cent Plus store in North Miami located at 14602 W Dixie Hwy.

The 69-year-old store owner said that the heist occurred right under his nose as he was unloading inventory to stock the store he’s owned for 14 years.

“He just opened the car door and he ran,” said the store owner’s wife, Marie Antoine.

In surveillance video, shared by the owner, the thief is seen walking in stealth mode to the victim’s car.

“Now he’s walking right toward your SUV?” said 7News reporter Sheldon Fox.

“Yes,” said store owner Tony Antoine.

The video shows the man taking one item from the vehicle: a fresh-from-the-bank envelope that contained $6,000.

“What are you thinking when you realize ‘Oh, wait a minute! Envelope with the money isn’t here?’ What’s the first thought that went through your head?” said Fox.

“I called her and said ‘You take the envelope?’ and she said ‘No, of course not,’” said Tony.

It wasn’t Marie who picked the envelope up.

“You knew it was gone?” said Fox.

“Yeah,” said Tony.

So Tony and his wife immediately went to check the security cameras and saw the thief in broad daylight stealing the money.

“I had just checked the camera and I see that guy was behind me,” said Tony

“He thinks someone was following him,” said Marie.

Tony said that before being stolen from, he had run another errand. He went to Wells Fargo and withdrew the money before heading back to his store.

But little did he know that as soon as his eyes were off the envelope, it would be stolen and in the thief’s hand.

The video shows that the family had their backs turned as a man emerges from a car parked behind them. He approaches the SUV and enters through the passenger side door, and within seconds, is seen waking back to his getaway car, which is already moving as someone else is driving it before the thief gets in and drives away.

“$6,000 is not easy now,” said Tony.

The owners called North Miami Police and filed a police report after they suffered a big money gut punch right outside their store.

“We need the money back,” said Marie. “I’m not going to let that go into life without that $6,000.”

Now the store owners hope the public can help catch the thief.

“I’m not going to give up, I’m gonna find my money,” said Tony.

When asked if he would be more careful in the next ATM visit, Tony said he would never make another withdrawal at an ATM.

The store owners believe there were two people behind the theft. The man that stole the money and the driver of the car the thief was in.

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.

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