South Miami-Dade woman says burglar stole jewelry, valuables while she was away receiving cancer treatment
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MIAMI, Florida (WSVN) — A South Florida woman is reeling days after a burglar smashed his way into her home while she was away receiving cancer treatment.
An interior surveillance camera captured the unmasked perpetrator carrying a suitcase and smaller bag as he scoured through Stephany Toledo’s home in the Mandarin Lakes neighborhood in South Miami-Dade, Saturday morning.
Toledo spoke with 7News on Thursday.
“Your sense of security is literally distorted. At that point, like, you feel like your home is not safe,” she said.
The stolen items add even more pressure for Toledo, who is already dealing with a health battle.
“On top of already dealing with that, now I deal with the break-in, which just adds more stress to my everyday life,” she said.
Toledo said she came home from a chemotherapy treatment and noticed her front door was completely shattered.
“I’m here thinking, ‘My glass is broken, my door is pried open, the alarm is going off,” she said. “I’m like, ‘What’s happening here?’”
Toledo showed 7News how the burglar ransacked her home.
“He went over through my mom’s jewelry cabinet, and he emptied out a bunch of drawers,” she said. “It’s like he knew the layout to the house.”
Toledo said she was left with no jewelry, and other personal items are now gone. To make matters worse, many of those items have sentimental value.
“He took valuables that were my mother’s, who has passed away,” she said. “He really ransacked through the house in like seven minutes.”
The thief left Toledo’s home with a backpack and luggage filled with items worth thousands of dollars.
Shortly after the burglary, Miami-Dade Police officers entered the home with guns drawn.
The thief, Toledo said, has made her feel helpless.
“My cancer is literally stress-induced. I want this guy caught, definitely caught,” she said. “It’s not the first time he breaks into homes or to cars around this area, and he’s known to be in this neighborhood.”
Toledo posted her security video to different neighborhood apps, hoping someone recognizes him.
“People have seen him in the area, so he’s not far from here,” she said.
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