CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Thief strikes same Lehigh Acres victim twice

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres neighbor became the victim of a car burglary not once, but twice. In the most recent case, the victim had their car stolen.

Surveillance video showed a man dressed all in black approaching the victim's locked Hyundai on the morning of Feb. 13. The suspect spent several minutes using a screwdriver to pry at the door handle and rear window before eventually shattering the window to get inside, according to the police report.

The report said the suspect then hot-wired the car and drove away on Jaguar Boulevard.

"This feels a little more targeted specifically, because the victim was victimized twice within a period of just over a month," Trish Routte with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers said.

The stolen car was found over the weekend just two miles away, according to the report.

Routte said burglaries normally happen between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., making this 6:30 a.m. incident unusual.

"You got a lot of people that are out and about. They're leaving for work. They're walking the dog before they go out. So there's a lot of people that could have seen this," Routte said.

The suspect could face multiple felony charges including grand theft auto and burglary, Routte said.

Crime Stoppers is asking neighbors to reach out if they see or hear any information about the case.

"We would rather you call us and let us know and it turned out to be nothing, than for you not my business, not my house, not my property, and then you find out that your neighbor was victimized," Routte said.

As a reminder to everyone, Routte emphasized the importance of vehicle security.

"Lock your doors every time," Routte said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.