Suspected Hollywood porch pirate spent Christmas in jail
HOLLYWOOD - It's supposed to be the season of giving, but Javier Perez and several of his neighbors at Cortland Hollywood became the victims of a heartless crook just a day before Christmas.
"He reminds me of The Grinch, he literally came in with a knapsack, covered his face. He came in, he was sneaky, he just grabbed the packages and ran off," said Perez.
The porch pirate was caught on several Ring doorbell cameras and neighbors in the complex alerted each other online about what they saw.
"I check mine and boom, I see him come right around the corner, grab all my packages for Christmas and literally run out like The Grinch," said Perez.
Police were notified and saw the man, later identified as Steven Watson, walking on a sidewalk near the complex.
When police confronted Watson, he took off, leading officers on a brief chase. When he was caught, officers found the car Watson was driving packed with stolen gifts.
"If it wasn't for everybody else in the complex getting together and posting on this app, this guy could've got scot-free and taken 30 or 40 packages," said Perez.
Hollywood police are working to return those gifts while Watson spent his Christmas in cuffs.
Police say in total, 39 packages were recovered belonging to residents in Hollywood and Dania Beach.
Watson is charged with two counts of burglary, one count of grand theft, and one count of resisting an officer.
