A bold thief snatched a designer purse from a Puerto Rican tourist as she dined at a Miami restaurant before spending nearly $2000 of the victim’s money.
Marisoll Hernandez, 60, was eating out with a friend Friday night when a woman passed behind her and slipped her Gucci bag off the back of her chair.
Hernandez, a chef and writer, was visiting from San Juan to promote her book Enamorada. After attending book signings in Coral Gables, she tacked a few more days on to her trip to spend time with friends in Miami.
She and a pal were engrossed in conversation as they waited for their food at Toscana Divino, a high-end Italian restaurant, when a woman in a fuchsia dress walked by.
Staring down at her phone, the woman reached over and swiped Hernandez’s Gucci purse from the back of chair in a moment captured on CCTV.
Marisoll Hernandez, 60, was dining with a friend in Miami when she became the unwitting victim of a purse snatcher
In a shocking moment captured on CCTV, a woman in a fuchsia dress passed behind Hernandez and slid her Gucci bag off the back of her chair before walking away
The chef and writer, pictured with the same Gucci bag, was in town to promote her book, Enamorada. Inside the stolen purse was a Gucci wallet with a credit card, $1,200 in cash and a pair of Cartier glasses she claims were valued at nearly $4,000
Hernandez, still grinning, did not even register that she had been robbed.
‘They took my things, you know – they are material things, but they are still yours,’ the author told NBC6. ‘You feel frustrated.’
Earlier that day, Hernandez had posted a photo to Instagram with the same Gucci purse slung around her shoulder.
Inside the bag was a Gucci wallet with a credit card, $1,200 in cash and a pair of Cartier glasses she claims were valued at nearly $4,000.
She was alerted that the suspect had used her credit card to make purchases totaling almost $1800.
‘The person did went shopping that night and they had fun with my money and my credit cards,’ Hernandez said.
She was able to trace the purse thanks to an AirTag, which pinged in an apartment building, but police were unable to retrieve it.
According to Miami Police Department spokesperson Mike Vega, a court order was needed before officers could enter the building and go door to door.
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The suspect then went on a shopping spree, shelling out $1,800 of Hernandez’s money using her credit card
The author was able to locate the bag using an AirTag, but police needed a court order before searching the apartment building where it was found
Police say the suspect faces grand theft charges. To qualify under Florida law, the value of the stolen property must exceed the state’s minimum statutory criteria of $300
The theft came among a spate of similar crimes – earlier this month, South Miami police requested the public’s help to identify two men who snatched a purse from an elderly woman in December
The charges listed on the police report are theft – purse snatching and fraudulent practices.
According to police, the suspect faces grand theft charges as the value of the stolen property exceeds the state’s minimum statutory criteria of $300.
The incident comes amid a rash of similar crimes. Earlier this month, South Miami police requested the public’s assistance in identifying two men who stole a purse from an elderly woman the weekend before Christmas.
CCTV footage showed the men entering a restaurant and heading to the bar to scope out victims. One of the men took off his jacket and covered the woman’s purse, taking it with them as they left.
According to the victim, the bag was worth around $8,000. The men also made off with documents, cash and credit cards, which they used shortly after.
‘I believe they have done this before,’ Sgt. Fernando Bosch told CBS News. ‘They are organized and know what they are doing.’
Hernandez fell victim to one of the first purse snatchings of the month – as of January 7, none had been reported.
‘I know I cannot have my things back – money is money, credit cards are credit cards,’ she said. ‘It will be solved, but I really want justice.’