Wall Climbing Hotel Bandit Steals From Jewish Families in Miami

By Matis Glenn

A thief allegedly misused a remarkable acrobatic talent to steal from Jewish families at a Miami hotel early Wednesday morning, police say.

The thief quietly and nimbly scaled at least nine stories of the 18-floor Alexander Hotel All Suite Oceanfront Resort, leaping from balconies and performing other stunts to commit his crimes. Five units in total were burglarized.

“We didn’t hear a thing and I’m a light sleeper,” Chanie Brisk, one of the victims whose jewelry was stolen told Local10.

Another victim, Mayer Greenbaum, said he felt safe on the 9th floor of the hotel, but his wallet and his daughter’s and wife’s jewelry were stolen.

A victim who wished to remain anonymous told Hamodia that she and three of her relatives were staying in one of the units and were burglarized. She woke up at around 7 a.m. and found a child’s birth certificate on the floor, which was alarming. She later found that cash and jewelry had been stolen from her pocketbook.

Another victim, her sister, who was sleeping closer to the porch that the thief had used to enter, had her pocketbook emptied, which had contained jewelry, a wallet, and identification for herself and her daughter. “They even stole diapers!” the victim said. “They [her sister and niece] needed a letter from police stating that their ID’s were stolen in order to travel home.”

Community activist Rabbi Mark Rosenberg says that unfortunately, such incidents aren’t too uncommon in Florida’s tourism-rich areas. He told Hamodia that the thefts should remind people to always keep their windows and car doors locked. He also says that break-ins have been known to occur even in locked cars if valuables are left within sight.