Hialeah police cruisers packed the driveway outside the Lake Condominium on Wednesday morning, video shows, with officers blocking off a section of sidewalk and a yellow tarp set up behind crime-scene tape. The new clip shoved a New Year’s Eve case right back into local timelines and brought renewed attention to the investigation that led to criminal charges in early January.
What the video shows
Surveillance stills and video from the scene capture a man appearing to force a woman toward a white Ford F-150 just after dawn on New Year’s Eve, outside an apartment building at West 27th Avenue and 52nd Street. Police later said the woman was found safe and that 49-year-old Jose Manuel Gonzalez was arrested and charged with kidnapping and domestic battery, according to CBS News Miami.
Police search and evidence
Investigators released surveillance images of the man dressed in all black and the woman wearing a gray sweatshirt and khaki sweatpants. They described the truck as a modified white Ford F-150 with distinctive black rims. Detectives said the incident did not appear to be random and urged anyone who recognizes either person or the pickup to contact Hialeah police or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers, as reported by NBC6.
Neighbors on edge
Residents told reporters they woke up to screams the morning of the incident, with one neighbor recalling that she heard the woman yell “no” before the commotion suddenly stopped. Neighbors described the Lake Condominium area as usually quiet and said the footage, which showed the vehicle and two people near the complex, shook longtime residents, per CBS News Miami.
Why it's back in the feeds
The clip resurfaced in local social media on Wednesday after Spot On Florida picked up the CBS Miami video, re-posting the scene and reminding readers of the early January update in which police said the woman had been found and a suspect charged. The Spot On Florida item linked directly to the CBS footage, which is what has been circulating again online. Spot On Florida aggregated the CBS excerpt.
How to help
Hialeah police said their “primary concern is the immediate well-being of the female involved” and asked anyone with information to call 305-687-2525 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477). Officials urged residents with surveillance cameras to review any footage from the New Year’s Eve timeframe and share possible leads with detectives. NBC6 has more on the police appeal.
