'My heart is broken': Car thieves steal money meant for woman's dying brother's funeral

Suspected car thieves in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood were photographed by a video surveillance camera.



SEATTLE -- In broad daylight, a thief smashed his way into a car parked in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood and ran off with Araceli Jaime’s purse.

“My heart is broken,” Jaime, who works as a nanny in the neighborhood, said Thursday.

Two men got away with $1,200 of Jaime’s hard-earned money. The nanny had just taken the money out of the bank to send to her dying brother in Mexico.

“My brother is so sick, he’s in the hospital" and not expected to live, Jaime said

The heartless car break-in enrages Araceli’s employer, Kate Jiggins.

“She’s away from her family, from her house, working to make money for her family, and these guys are walking down the street having a snack, bashing in people’s windows. You can tell right now I am getting hot in the collar," Jiggins said.



Jiggins added that Mount Baker is seeing property crimes skyrocketing.

“We get emails: My car was broken into last night, my bikes were stolen last night, my garage was broken into last night. It’s a daily occurrence,” Jiggins said.

That’s why she decided to invest in a quality security camera. And it came in handy.

The video footage shows the thieves canvassed her neighborhood and 34th Avenue South in a vehicle that looks similar to a utility truck so they could blend in. The white box truck even had orange cones on it.

Tired of the crime, Jiggins isn’t sitting back anymore.

“We are relying on each other -- keep an eye out for these people and bring them to the attention of the police. If you see them, call 911,” Jiggins said.

Jaime is grateful she has a supportive boss because right now life is tough for the nanny.

“I don’t pay any money for myself, (for) clothes or nothing,” Jaime said.

Jiggins has set up a Go Fund Me account for anyone who wishes to donate to Jaime so she can help pay for her brother's funeral. Click here to go to the site.