Man, woman arrested in connection with South Miami package theft

SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. – Two “porch pirates” were arrested Monday, exactly one month after a package was stolen from the front of a home in South Miami, authorities said.

According to their arrest reports, the theft occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 6 in the 6900 block of Southwest 63rd Avenue.

Police said the victim told officers that her neighbor found her empty package the following morning and delivered it to her.

The victim then reviewed her surveillance footage and saw a woman snatching the package from the front porch of her home and then jumping back into the passenger seat of a black Ford Mustang.

After surveillance video of the thief aired on local news outlets, Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers received a tip identifying the thief as Leydis Vega.

According to her arrest report, detectives found her on social media and saw that she had photos wearing the same hair bows as she was wearing during the theft.

Police said the address listed on her driver’s license was the same address as that of her ex-husband.

Authorities said they spoke to her ex-husband when they went to the home on Dec. 17 and he confirmed that Vega was the person seen in the video.

“Yes, I saw the news channel already. It’s her,” he told police, according to the report.

Police said Vega, 30, of Hialeah, turned herself in to authorities on Monday and was arrested on charges of burglary and petit theft.

Police confirmed that they also arrested the alleged getaway driver, Dariel Massip, 31, of Hialeah, who faces a charge of criminal solicitation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Massip remained held at the Metrowest Detention Center. While he was given a $2,500 bond in connection with the incident, he is being held without bond for various warrants.

Vega, meanwhile, was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond had yet to be set due to a domestic violence warrant.