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Video shows car stolen by tow truck driver

Posted at 9:56 PM, May 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-27 01:58:55-04

It was a Mother’s Day, Damian Rios, will never forget. His wife opened the front door to go for a walk and said, “your car is not in the driveway.”

Rios checked his surveillance cameras, installed to catch punk kids in the neighborhood from moving lawn items around his yard, sure enough he captured the crime from start to finish.

“I installed it and never caught any of them,” Rios chuckled.

What it did capture at 3:08 a.m. outside his Sarasota home was a tow truck driver stealing the car and driving off in less than 15 seconds.

The video shows the tow truck driver not even getting out to hook the car up. The driver just backed up to the car and dropped the hydraulic lift under the gas tank of the victim’s car and drove off.

“I can't even believe it that was so quick. It had to be a pro, a person who knows what they doing you know,” Rios said.

After calling the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Rios called his dealer who confirmed that his car payments were up to date and was not getting repossessed.  

His 2006 blue Infiniti MX35 sedan's license plate number is 7717GK.

“In my opinion they stole it for parts,” Rios said. “They want the parts, and a lot of people told me that there is no car like that in the junkyard right now.”

Anyone with information about either vehicle involved should contact Criminal Investigations at 941.861.4900 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers of Sarasota County by calling 941.366.TIPS (8477), online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.