A trail from one stolen SUV ended with two arrests and a busted alleged chop shop in northwest Miami-Dade on Wednesday, after deputies say they found multiple stolen Honda CR-Vs tucked inside an abandoned home.
According to authorities, the case broke when a woman tracked her stolen Honda CR-V to the 1300 block of Northwest 77th Terrace. When deputies followed up, investigators say they discovered several other Honda CR-Vs at the property, some of them already stripped of major parts. Deputies reported that a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old tried to bolt on foot, but a helicopter overhead and a K-9 team on the ground helped box them in.
NBC 6 South Florida reports that deputies identified the adult suspect as 19-year-old Jose Manuel Moreno, who they say was found on a roof wearing a black ski mask and carrying a backpack loaded with burglary tools. Moreno was booked into jail on multiple counts, including grand theft of a vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, operating or aiding a chop shop, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence. The 17-year-old was taken to a juvenile assessment center, according to the report. Deputies say the pair had been spotted walking near the property and took off when officers first tried to stop them.
Chop Shop Busts On The Rise
Local investigators have been seeing more of these dismantling operations pop up across northwest Miami-Dade. In February, a separate raid uncovered a chop shop packed with stolen mopeds, motorcycles and vehicle parts, according to prior reporting. Authorities and industry groups have warned that VIN tampering and parts stripping can fuel larger theft and export schemes, and detectives frequently lean on community tips and vehicle-tracking technology to find these locations. Neighbors in earlier cases have said such properties can quickly become ongoing trouble spots for a block.
What Deputies Say They Found Inside
At the abandoned home, investigators said they located the victim’s Honda CR-V alongside three other Honda CR-Vs. Two of the SUVs had already been dismantled and were missing parts, and deputies recovered two license plates, including one that matched the woman’s stolen vehicle, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Authorities also said one of the vehicles contained a tag that matched a Honda CR-V reported stolen and stripped on March 30. The sheriff’s office described the property as an apparent chop shop where stolen vehicles were being dismantled for parts.
Charges And What Comes Next
Moreno remains in Miami-Dade custody on multiple felony counts as the case moves toward prosecution, while the 17-year-old is being processed through the county’s juvenile system. Prosecutors will review the case file as detectives keep working to track down any additional suspects or evidence tied to the operation. Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.
Authorities say the investigation is still active.
