Tow truck driver arrested in theft of $545K Ferrari F8 Spider in Miami
www.nbcmiami.com, January 30, 2025
A tow truck driver has been arrested in the theft of a Ferrari worth more than half a million dollars in Miami that still hasn't been found.
Fabian Ruidiaz, 36, was arrested Wednesday on charges including grand theft, dealing in stolen property, and towing violations, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
According to an arrest report, the victim had been storing his blue 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider, worth over $545,000, at a garage on Brickell Avenue in Miami going back to 2023.
A friend would check on the vehicle to make sure it was running and the battery wasn't dead.
But on Jan. 21, the friend discovered the Ferrari was missing, and learned a tow truck had towed it on Jan. 13.
The Ferrari's owner hired a private investigator who identified the tow driver as Ruidiaz, who told the investigator the Ferrari had been towed to an auto repair shop in Cutler Bay for a fee of $350, the report said.
The repair shop had video of a suspect who claimed to be the victim and authorized charges to replace the Ferrari's battery and program a new key, the report said.
The Ferrari was later driven off by that suspect and hasn't been found since, the report said.
On Jan. 23, the private investigator reported the vehicle stolen to Miami Police.
Detectives spoke with Ruidiaz, and most of the statements he gave were redacted in the report but it said at the very least he failed in his duties as a tow truck driver
"The defendant remained willfully blind of the circumstances that a reasonable person of his profession would have verified (as required by law) in order to profit the $350," the report said.
Ruidiaz, of Hollywood, was arrested and booked into jail.
In court Thursday, his defense attorney said he worked for a towing company and had received text messages to pick up a vehicle, with locations to pick it up and drop it off.
The attorney said Ruidiaz didn't have a towing license but had his brother's tow truck.
A prosecutor said there was no towing manifest and Ruidiaz didn't confirm who the owner of the vehicle was.
The judge ultimately granted him a $15,300 bond.
News article: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/tow-truck-driver-arrested-in-theft-of-545k-ferrari-f8-spider-in-miami/3530500/