Woman arrested after video shows her and child breaking into neighbor's Miami apartment
A Miami woman was arrested Friday after police said surveillance video captured her and one of her young children breaking through her neighbor's back door, damaging furniture, and dragging belongings into an apartment complex courtyard.
Nicole Bottiglierivega, 42, faces charges of third-degree grand theft, contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child, criminal mischief, and resisting an officer without violence.
According to her arrest report, City of Miami police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex at around 3 p.m. Thursday after reports of a burglary.
A resident reported that he and his wife returned home from work to discover their apartment had been ransacked. Several personal belongings had been taken from their home and left scattered in the complex's rear common area, leading to the street and parking lot. The resident spotted Bottiglierivega standing in the courtyard area at the time, unaware she was involved.
When the building manager reviewed the property surveillance video, the footage showed Bottiglierivega, who had moved to the neighboring apartment two weeks earlier, on Oct. 15, accompanied by two children.
Dressed in a long dress, Bottiglierivega was seen forcibly entering the rear door of the victims' unit, breaking the lock and doorframe. She then began hauling out furniture and personal items, assisted by one of her children. Ring camera footage from a neighbor corroborated the break-in and damage to the victims' furnishings.
A witness also told responding officers that Bottiglierivega frequently consumed narcotics, stating she had been seen smoking crack cocaine and leaving glass pipes and small plastic bags around the premises.
After the burglary, Bottiglierivega retreated into her apartment with her children. When officers knocked on her door and rear windows, she refused to respond.
Due to minors being inside the unit, police contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families. A child welfare investigator arrived on scene Thursday evening but was initially unable to make contact with Bottiglierivega.
How the Miami model was arrested
On Friday at around 4 p.m., officers returned to the building alongside DCF workers to conduct a follow-up investigation.
Upon arriving at Bottiglierivega's door, a police sergeant heard screaming and spotted blood nearby. Officers forced entry into the unit and found Bottiglierivega in her bedroom. Police said she refused verbal commands, pulled away, and physically resisted as officers placed her in handcuffs.
Bottiglierivega was transported to the City of Miami Police North Station. While placed inside a holding cell, she managed to wiggle her wrists free from the handcuffs and approached the cell door leading into the main facility before an officer intervened and re-secured her.
When detectives attempted to interrogate her later that afternoon, Bottiglierivega refused to answer questions, ending the interview.
She is behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was set at over $11,000.