Surveillance Tape Shows North Miami Carjacking Of 2 Young Boys

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NORTH MIAMI (CBSMiami) – New surveillance tape shows some chilling moments in North Miami as an SUV is carjacked with two small boys inside it.

Their parents are speaking out about the ordeal and police are calling the search for the carjacker a top priority as they have been passing out flyers and canvassing neighborhoods.

The new surveillance tape from the Avocado Coin Laundry on West Dixie Highway at Northeast 133rd St. that was released by police shows the image of a man beside the parents' Toyota RAV4. Moments later, the SUV takes off with 9-month-old Jeremiah Orius and his 3-year-old brother Zachariah inside that vehicle.

The tape also shows their mother frantically trying to stop the carjacking. She is not able to and says the SUV runs over part of her foot, "I was saying please, please give me my kids, please," said the victims' mother, Marie Orius.

She told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "I thought it was going to stop, but it just pulled away. I was worried and thought he might go by a lake and throw my kids in a lake."

Her husband, Toussaint Orius, said, "When I stepped out of the Laundromat I heard my wife screaming, my kids are in the car, my kids are in the car. My kids are my life after God."

The parents said they were doing their laundry and kept their SUV running and the doors unlocked as they were watching it. They said the carjacker suddenly appeared.

"I thought what is this guy going to do with my kids," said Toussaint Orius. "I worried that he was going to kill them or something."

The parents say they are deeply religious and prayed their children would be okay.

Police said they were not injured and were found about 90 minutes after the carjacking at NE 11th Ave. and 140th St. where the SUV had been abandoned.

"Now I feel so happy and feel everyone helped me find my kids," said Marie Orius, who has lived in South Florida since coming to the U.S. from Haiti in 2004.

Toussaint Orius said, "I said Lord, I will not go home without my kids. Now I am more than happy. I love my kids so much. We were going to go to work today but now we just stayed home to be with our children."

CBS4 caught up with North Miami's Police as he watched his officers pass out flyers outside and in the neighborhood around the Avocado Coin Laundry.

Those flyers have a headline saying "Look before you lock" and contained crime prevention tips.

The flyers said, "Never leave your child unattended in a motor vehicle, even with a window open. Ensure that all children exit the vehicle with you. Do not leave your car running while unattended. Keep your doors and windows locked at all times. Use anti theft device/alarm and do not leave anything in your car in plain view and remove all valuables including purse and phone."

Police said if you see suspicious activity, call (305) 891-8111.

North Miami Police spokeswoman Natalie Buissreth told D'Oench, "This was a crime of opportunity. This criminal didn't have to work hard. The key was in the vehicle and the door was unlocked."

"The important thing here is education and to remember, lock it or lose it. Keep your door unlocked. You think it's only five minutes but it only takes a few seconds. You would not leave something of value in your vehicle. So why would you leave a baby in your car."

"We are trying to determine if this carjacker lives in the area. We hope someone saw something," she added.

She said flyers were also passed out in the area of NE 11th Ave. and 140th St. where the SUV was found.

She said the carjacker is 6-feet tall and had a stocky build and was last seen wearing a white shirt and green pants.

Anyone with information that can help should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).