FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff's Office is searching for several people who they believe were involved in a series of car burglaries.
Several stolen vehicles were reported Wednesday night in Palm Coast. Deputies said video surveillance from Emerson Drive showed one person of interest wearing a hoodie and two others trying to open car doors.
Don Becker said his diesel truck was stolen around 8 p.m. Wednesday while he was inside his home doing paperwork.
"I ran outside, which took seconds, and by the time I got out here, the truck was at the end of the driveway, going around the corner," Becker said.
Flagler County Sheriff's Office Chief Paul Bovino said that officers learned while they were investigating Becker's stolen vehicle that several other vehicles in the area had been rummaged through.
The car burglaries happened in the "E-section" of town. Surveillance cameras along Emmons Lane captured three men in hoodies, pulling door handles.
"We definitely have connected them to the possible stolen vehicle," Bovino said.
Becker uses his truck for work at his construction company. The black F-350 truck is equipped with an aluminum diamond plate fuel tank in the back, along with a toolbox and a red pump on top of the fuel tank.
Becker admitted to leaving his truck unlocked for a just a few minutes. He hopes someone will recognize it around town and call authorities.
Deputies said car burglaries happen all too often because people forget to lock up. But it's also not the same suspects who commit the crimes.
"We can't link all the groups up because we put some in jail and then another group comes out and does the same thing," Bovino said.
Meanwhile, Becker has a message for the people who took his truck.
"Better hope the cops catch you and not me," he said.
The Sheriff's Office released a photo Thursday of one of the individuals, hoping the public could help identify him.
Anyone with information on the person in the picture is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 386-313-4911 and reference case number 17-104808.