Car thieves are striking the Grove at a pace not seen all year — nearly a third of 2025’s thefts have come in the past 30 days.
Vehicle thefts have surged in Coconut Grove, with nine reported in the past five weeks — more than double the neighborhood’s typical pace of about four per month.
The recent surge, which began Aug. 24, accounts for nearly 30% of this year’s reported cases, according to Miami police. Four additional thefts occurred just outside the Grove’s boundaries.
Police say 33 vehicles have been reported stolen in the Grove so far in 2025. The latest rash represents the busiest stretch in at least six months, after the neighborhood had gone six weeks without a single theft.
Miami Police Officer Miguel Borges said detectives are monitoring the uptick but do not suspect an organized auto theft ring.
“Usually, we see a group of guys jump out and start checking doors,” Borges said, referring to security camera evidence. “No groups of guys is a good sign.”
Organized auto theft operations are not unusual in Miami-Dade.
In 2024, one operation – relying heavily on teenagers to search for keys left inside unlocked vehicles – targeted Coral Gables, Pinecrest, and Coconut Grove.
Proximity to U.S. 1 and other major thoroughfares allowed for easy escape to a Broward County transit point for stolen cars, police said.
Last year, 48 vehicles were reported stolen from Coconut Grove.
Many of the recent thefts, Borges said, were from keys left inside vehicles.
“Since people regard the Grove as a safe area, they are nonchalant and leave their key fob in their cars,” Borges said.
Of the nine vehicles reported stolen, all but three — one being a motorcycle — were recovered, in some cases using auto-tracking technology. Borges said he was not aware of any arrests.
While downplaying a possible link between the current rash of thefts and last year’s organized ring, Borges said the thieves nonetheless are “pretty good at what they do” wearing dark hoodies, masks, and gloves that protect them from surveillance cameras and fingerprint tests.
Of four recent incidents reviewed by the Spotlight, all the vehicle thefts occurred at the victim’s home.
At 1:54 a.m. on Sept. 7 an unknown person, dressed in all black, entered a property on Kiaora Street in South Grove.
The suspect was spotted on surveillance cameras by the homeowner and told through the security system’s audio to leave the property. Before exiting, the suspect stole the keys to the victim’s Cadillac Escalade that were left in the vehicle.
Later that day, at about 6 p.m., the suspect returned with another man and used the keys to enter the victim’s car. The victim, who heard the commotion exited his home and approached the suspects with a firearm. They fled the property in the stolen Escalade.
Hours earlier, another vehicle was stolen on Abaco Avenue in North Grove.
On Sept. 14, a BMW X7 was stolen from outside a home on Bay Heights Drive in North Grove. A new BMW X7 is valued at approximately $82,000.
Other vehicles were stolen Aug. 24 in the 3100 block of Plaza Street; Aug. 25 at Southwest 27th Avenue and West Trade Avenue; Aug. 30 in the 2700 block of South Bayshore Drive; and Sept. 16 in the 3600 block of South Miami Avenue.
On Aug. 27 a Range Rover valued at $104,000 was stolen from Kirk Street in North Grove while the owner was at CocoWalk.
He returned to his home at 11 p.m. to find his car missing from the driveway. Using the GPS tracking system, he located the vehicle in Miramar, in Broward County, where it was recovered by Miramar police.
On Aug. 22, schools in Coconut Grove were put on lockdown while police searched for two men fleeing from Coral Gables to West Grove in a stolen vehicle. Both men were apprehended.
Police did not specify whether thieves have been targeting any specific vehicle type, make or model. “The Miami Police Department actively responds to and addresses reported auto-related crimes and thefts through a comprehensive approach. This includes community outreach and public awareness campaigns that encourage residents to take preventative steps,” police spokesperson Kiara Delva told the Spotlight.
