A suspected package thief’s getaway hit a familiar Miami roadblock: MacArthur Causeway traffic.
Miami Beach police say a man swiped packages from a FedEx truck on South Beach, tried to make a run for it across the causeway, and then wound up stuck in the midday crawl. Officers arrested 26-year-old Shajuan Jones of Memphis, Tennessee, and say he was taken into custody without further incident. The arrest happened around midday Wednesday near Collins Avenue, and investigators were still reviewing surveillance footage and witness statements.
According to police, a witness reported seeing a black Mazda SUV back up to the rear of a FedEx truck near 1 Collins Ave, load several boxes into the vehicle, and then drive off. Officers later found the SUV a short distance away. Police say the driver took off after an officer told him to stay put, but video surveillance and the witness’s identification helped lead to the arrest, as reported by WPLG Local 10.
The case drops into a much bigger national headache. Package theft has become a routine part of city life in places with heavy e-commerce traffic. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General estimated that at least 58 million packages were stolen in 2024, with losses reaching as high as $16 billion, and urged tighter coordination among retailers, delivery companies and law enforcement to tackle so-called porch piracy.
Arrest details and charges
Once Jones was stopped, officers searched him and the black Mazda. According to police, they found a folding pocket knife on him, an empty firearm holster on the front passenger seat, an opened package in the back seat and two unopened packages in the trunk that contained about $90 worth of paper products. Jones told investigators he threw a gun from his car while fleeing, and police later said they recovered a black, semi-automatic pistol in the area they searched.
Jones faces multiple felony counts, including burglary of an unoccupied conveyance while armed, fleeing or eluding police and tampering with physical evidence. He remained behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a bond of $10,650, according to WPLG Local 10.
Legal context
Florida has been trying to get ahead of porch piracy and organized retail theft. In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 549, which the governor’s office said increases criminal penalties for repeat or higher-value package thefts. The governor’s press release and bill sponsors said the law targets organized theft rings that zero in on last-mile deliveries.
Under Florida law, burglary statutes state that a burglary involving a conveyance can be prosecuted as a felony, and offenses that involve weapons or assaults carry higher-degree penalties. Prosecutors will use that framework when deciding on charges and any possible enhancements. The governor’s release can be found from Governor Ron DeSantis, and the statutory language is available at Florida Statutes, section 810.02.
Miami Beach police say this case is one more local example of the last-mile theft problem highlighted in the postal watchdog’s study, which described such crimes as costly and hard to fully track for both law enforcement and retailers. The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Miami Beach police.
