More confrontational twist on criminal 'jugging' discovered on Treasure Coast

Sheriff’s officials are warning about a new trend in which they say alleged South American gangs use a more confrontational way to victimize people in so-called “jugging” incidents.

“Jugging” can refer to a criminal practice in which someone waits at a bank or ATM, and watches customers leave with what they think could be cash. They follow the person, and then burglarize the vehicle after the person has stopped and left.

“The victim's not present during the actual burglary,” Martin County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy John Budensiek said. “That's a difference in the South American guys versus the ones that we've been dealing with.”

Budensiek spoke after an April 25 incident in which a woman stopped to withdraw $1,000 at a Bank of America in Palm City. As she traveled away, she noticed a tire on her Jeep was losing pressure and went to a Wawa on South Kanner Highway to get air. She later said three tires were slashed, records state.

While getting air, her horn beeped — indicating the keyfob left the vehicle — and she saw a man running away and getting in a sedan. She realized the man took her purse with $62, the $1,000 she withdrew, her iPhone and other items, records state.

She tried to confront the man, later identified as Adrian Felipe Perez-Rocha. Investigators said Perez-Rocha, 39, pushed her, and she fell.

Investigators tracked the assailants using the woman’s iPhone, and stopped them on Interstate 95. The driver was identified as Bryam Arturo Cardenas Moreno. Investigators reported finding the $62 the woman had in her purse, and $800 she withdrew in the center console. The additional $200 was in a wallet with Perez-Rocha’s identification.

According to arrest records, the incident appears to “fit a trend where suspects from South America wait for a victim to go inside the bank, slash one of their tires, and when they go to put air in the tires, commit a burglary stealing the money the victim had just withdrawn.”

Perez-Rocha and Cardenas Moreno, 27, were arrested, each on charges including burglary to a motor vehicle, grand theft, robbery by sudden snatching and tampering with evidence.

Budensiek said earlier this year, a law enforcement task force alerted his agency that a “South American group of juggers” came into Martin County. Sheriff’s officials surveilled them for two days, and he said that while they didn’t commit the burglary part of jugging “they did everything else.”

“They did the surveillance on the banks,” Budensiek said. “They followed a lady away from the banks — of course we were following them following the lady — and they used a homemade tire deflation device to flatten her tire.”

He suspected the individuals got “spooked” and left. He said they went through St. Lucie and Indian River counties before reportedly perpetrating a jugging-type crime elsewhere and were apprehended.

Other cases

On Sept. 12, 2023, two people were apprehended after investigators in St. Lucie County linked them to the burglary of a man’s rented vehicle after he said he made a bank withdrawal.

Law enforcement officials in St. Lucie County began watching the vehicle the suspected juggers were in after Martin investigators reported that vehicle possibly was linked to a burglary days earlier of $900 from a vehicle in Martin County.

On Oct. 30, 2023, police in Port St. Lucie reported a jugging incident, though no arrests were made, said Sgt. Dominick Mesiti, police spokesperson. He said the reported victim went to a bank and stopped at a gas station to buy a drink. The victim left a bank envelope in the vehicle, and the passenger window was smashed and money in the envelope stolen. He said surveillance video at the bank indicated the victim was followed after withdrawing money.

Indian River County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Jaworski said no confirmed jugging cases have happened in Indian River County, though his agency has conducted surveillance on suspected juggers.

He said his agency is part of a South Florida law enforcement task force, and is the northernmost county. It’s a network of information-sharing regarding auto burglaries, stolen vehicles, traveling criminals and other information.

“When these criminals are coming north or coming south or coming from wherever, once we have a known suspect vehicle, we're able to get eyes on them very quickly and get our pieces in place,” Jaworski said. “Whether that's the helicopter up or undercover people in play.”

Jaworski suspects there have been bank jugging victims in Indian River County, though it hasn't been confirmed.

“It's definitely a growing trend that we've seen across South Florida,” he said.

Safety tips

Budensiek offered strategies to protect from juggers.

He suggested people conduct transactions in the bank, and count your money at the counter, as opposed to in the parking lot, and put it in your pocket or somewhere safe. This way, he said, juggers can’t see you walking in the parking lot with an envelope or see you counting cash.

Juggers, he said, typically don’t follow people inside banks, though it’s important to pay attention to who’s inside.

Juggers tend to look for a person putting money in the center console, glove box or above the visor.

“They watch for that, so don't do that,” Budensiek said.

He said people should be alert to see whether anyone could be following them. If your tires start losing pressure, or someone bumps your car, keep the windows up and doors locked and dial 911.

“We will head your way,” Budensiek said. “If there's nothing to it, there's nothing to it. If somebody's trying to burglarize you, they will be dissuaded by you staying in your car with the doors locked.”

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sheriff's investigators warn of new 'jugging' trend on Treasure Coast