Months after Christmas packages were stolen from the trunk of a Tesla in Coconut Grove, the police arrested a man nicknamed the "Christmas Grinch": a Cuban resident in Miami, who is also accused of smuggling people across the United States-Mexico border.
Jesús Fernández, 53, was arrested last Thursday on charges of grand theft and robbery, the Miami Police informed local media.
The robbery took place last November 25th in the parking lot of Home Depot, located at 2999 Southwest 32nd Avenue.
According to the police report, the victim parked his Tesla and went into the store to shop, but when he returned, he discovered that the previously purchased items were missing.
The car's security cameras captured an individual opening the trunk and taking the packages, valued at approximately $1,000.
The thief acted very quickly and managed to open the trunk of the Tesla before it locked automatically, but he was recorded on all the cameras of the modern vehicle.
In the videos, Fernández can be seen taking the packages and, unable to grab them all, he looks for a Home Depot cart, brings it to the car, and fills it. Then, he cleans the exterior of the car with a cloth to make sure not to leave his fingerprints, and leaves with the stolen items.
The images allowed the investigators to identify the thief as Fernandez.
The Cuban man faces other charges of grand theft and robbery for similar cases investigated by the Miami-Dade and Doral Police.
Additionally, he had an outstanding arrest warrant from the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Interpol for human trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities reported.
The man was detained in a Miami-Dade prison. On Friday, he appeared in court and the judge set a bail of $17,150.
However, Fernández could be deported to Cuba for the crime of human smuggling.
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