MIAMI BEACH, FL. (WSVN) – Surveillance video caught someone lifting letters in Miami Beach, and the video showed it may not have been the first time.

A man has been caught on camera sneaking into a Miami Beach apartment building, opening mailboxes and all signs point to a serial thief with years of experience.

“It’s crazy to think anyone can do that,” said Paula Herman.

Herman is one of his latest victims.

“As soon as the doors opened from the elevator, that’s what I saw,” Herman said. “It’s my mailbox, but it’s hard to tell what he took.”

The crime was caught on March 6 at 1345 West Avenue, surveillance video shows him circling the door and then following a resident inside.

“He looked like a real gentleman, so no one suspected who he was or what his purpose in the building was,” Herman said.

After taking a ride in the elevator to blend in, he returned to the lobby, and when the way cleared, he got to work.

“He literally starts, with a tool, opening that door, then that door,” Herman said. “He actually grabs with his hands and pulls it, physically pulls it.”

After this video made the rounds, locals made a connection.

Turns out it’s the same thief featured on 7News in August 2020.

In this case, he posed as a FedEx employee and crashed into a building at 1670 Lincoln Court. His build and mode of operation also matched the guy spotted stealing mail from the sale flats at 1404 Bay Road last February.

“It’s really scary to think that someone can actually, like physically force open mailboxes and steal an entire box full of mail,” Herman said.

She hopes her neighbors will keep an eye on him and help authorities catch him before he strikes again.

“It affects the whole community, and it makes it a very dangerous environment for people who have lived here for a very long time, it’s really unnerving,” Herman said.

If you have information about the man or if you have been the victim of mail theft, call the US Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.

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