Hollywood police are asking for the public's help identifying a person of interest connected to two vehicle burglaries that happened near the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and Thomas Street shortly after midnight on Sept. 5. Surveillance footage shows someone in white pants carrying what appears to be a white bag walking along the popular beachfront strip around the time of the break-ins.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, security cameras outside the Marriott Hotel captured the person walking along the Broadwalk, and a second video shows the same individual continuing on further down the walkway. Police have not said whether anything was taken from the vehicles, and Telemundo 51 reported that authorities had not disclosed how entry was made.
Anyone with information about the investigation or the person's identity is asked to contact the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 or 954-967-4411, per the same report. Officers have not released the person's name or provided further description beyond the white pants and the bag seen in the footage.
Broader Pattern of Overnight Car Break-Ins in Broward
The Broadwalk incident comes amid a wider concern about vehicle burglaries across the region. In July, the Broward County Sheriff's Office reported investigations into groups searching apartment-complex parking lots and residential driveways for unlocked vehicles during the early morning hours, according to Telemundo 51.
That pattern of prowlers targeting unsecured cars isn't unique to Broward County. On the Treasure Coast, Martin County Sheriff's Office detectives working alongside St. Lucie County investigators arrested 32-year-old Joseph Zeman of Fort Pierce after surveillance at beach parking lots, according to CBS12. Investigators there said they observed Zeman attempting to enter multiple vehicles, some of which were unlocked, before he was taken into custody.
Zeman now faces charges connected to confirmed and attempted vehicle burglaries, along with allegations that he crossed county lines to commit the crimes, CBS12 reported. It's a reminder that beachside communities across South Florida have grappled with similar overnight burglary sprees targeting parked cars near tourist corridors.
What Investigators Still Don't Know
In Hollywood, key details remain unresolved. Police have not said whether any property was stolen from the two vehicles hit near the Broadwalk, and they have not explained how the person or persons responsible got inside. For now, investigators are relying on the public to help put a name to the figure seen walking the Broadwalk in the surveillance clips.
