Man says thieves stole Rolex out of his Tesla after following him out of Mall at Millenia
A Central Florida man said he was targeted by a pair of thieves that followed him out of the Mall at Millenia after he purchased a Rolex watch.
Travis Preudhomme said his Tesla captured the whole thing on video.
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He said the video from Friday afternoon shows two men following him from the Mall at Millenia, and then breaking into his car while he was at a restaurant on Sand Lake Road.
“It’s just very scary,” Preudhomme said. “He literally breaks the window, grabs the bag, and is off.”
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Preudhomme said his girlfriend’s Rolex watch was stolen from their car while they had dinner.
“They literally knew exactly what they were coming for, they didn’t look anywhere else in the car,” he said.
He said less than an hour before the crime, he and his girlfriend picked up a new watch at the Mall at Millenia. He said that’s when the thieves’ plan also began.
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In the parking lot, he was approached by a man asking him about the watch purchase.
“I just ignored that and walked towards my car,” he said. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
But then something suspicious happened. He said a gray Kia is seen on his Tesla camera appearing to follow him from the mall to the Sand Lake area.
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And then while the couple was in the restaurant, he said the video shows a man standing in front of his car, appearing to serve as a lookout while another man looks to make sure the bag is still in the car before smashing the window and grabbing it.
“It looks like a whole operation like they’ve done this several times,” Preudhomme said.
He said his girlfriend had put on her new watch and put her older model in the bag, which was still worth nearly $15,000.
He’s now hoping others will learn from what happened.
“I want people to be vigilant and when they do shop make sure they’re aware of their surroundings,” he said.
And anyone who may recognize the men in the video of the incident are asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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