Fort Lauderdale, FL – iPhone Sale Turns Into Major Heist As Thieves Steal Electronics And Tefillin From Jewish Teen In Florida

Fort Lauderdale, FL – A South Florida teen who hoped to sell his iPhone through a mobile app instead bought himself a boatload of trouble as he found himself the victim of an armed robbery.

16 year old Aharon Cohen placed a listing to sell his iPhone on Offer Up, a popular mobile app. Ironically, Offer Up describes itself as a “trusted community,” where users have an extra layer of safety by being able to find out more about buyers and sellers before engaging in any transactions.

According to CBS Miami, Cohen agreed to meet with a buyer for his iPhone on the evening of December 14th outside a Dania Beach warehouse where he works as a part time employee for a company selling electronics on Amazon. But after discussing the sale with the supposed buyer for several minutes Cohen, a Broward County resident, suddenly found himself facing a gun.

Below video: Surveillance of the entire event as it unfolds.

As the gunman forced Cohen into the warehouse, located at 2599 Griffin Road, an accomplice appeared and the two men spent approximately 10 minutes searching the warehouse, grabbing box after box of valuable electronics, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. One of the gunmen kept his weapon aimed at Cohen the entire time.

Cohen and the men loaded the boxes into the gunman’s vehicle, an older model four door white sedan, which may have been a Dodge Stratus. Surveillance video showed the car as having a loose front bumper and missing hubcaps. The two men took Cohen’s tefillin, iPhone, wallet and shirt with them before fleeing the scene in their vehicle.

Deborah Markus, who runs the business, said that the robbers fled with more than 40 items, including thousands of dollars worth of phones, tablets and cameras. Markus said that she suspects that the robbery may have been planned in advance. Cohen has been too traumatized to return to work since the incident took place, said Markus.

Surveillance video inside the warehouse captured clear footage of one of the gunmen, a black man, with medium build, brown eyes and short hair and appears to be in his 20s.

At the time of the robbery he was wearing a black Yankees cap with gold embroidery, a black long sleeved t-shirt with white and gold logos and designs, khaki shorts and black sandals and socks.

The second robber kept his face covered with a black cloth throughout the heist but is described as a heavyset black man wearing a white long sleeved shirt topped with a black tank top, a black and grey baseball cap, jeans, black gloves and sneakers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact BSO at 954-321-4738. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or online. Anonymous tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.