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By the book, the owner of a 2026 Cadillac Escalade in Kendall did everything right: locked the SUV in the driveway, kept both key fobs in the house, went to bed. When he walked outside on the morning of Sept. 3, the roughly $135,000 vehicle was gone, and the keys were still where he had left them. Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office investigators now say the SUV was driven off with a third key — one that had been programmed on a computer after the owner went to sleep. The case is a reminder that keyless-car security is only as strong as the vehicle's list of trusted fobs. (Updated Nov. 25, 2025)
A Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office arrest report, described by Local 10, identifies 23-year-old Alexis Jose Ruiz, who was arrested Oct. 16 and charged with first-degree grand theft, unauthorized interference with radio transmission, and offenses against computer users. Ruiz has not been convicted, and no public statement from him or an attorney was found. The last two charges track the alleged method almost exactly: jamming the vehicle's communications and using a computer to gain entry.
The timeline assembled by detectives reads like a stopwatch run:
The arrest report doesn't say what kind of data tied Ruiz to the area. The wider investigation, however, includes cellphone records that reportedly put Ruiz at or near at least three other vehicle thefts.
Keyless cars don't count their fobs; they keep a list of devices they've been told to trust, and adding a new one is a routine job — the same process a dealership uses to replace a lost key. Investigators allege the Escalade accepted one of those newly made keys as if it were factory equipment.
What public records don't show yet is the step that came first: how anyone got into the locked Escalade to program it, and what gear they used in Kendall. Neither the arrest report nor Miami-Dade jail records spell that out.
That gap is worth understanding, because it's the part owners can influence. Most aftermarket key-programming tools connect through the OBD-II diagnostic port under the dash — the same port mechanics use for engine codes, and the same port thieves can use to pair a fresh fob. Security researchers refer to these techniques as OBD reprogramming or CAN injection, and they've been demonstrated across multiple brands.
The Kendall Escalade was one case in a larger pattern. Arrest reports from an earlier phase of the investigation, reported by NBC 6 on Oct. 1, document 21 grand thefts or attempted vehicle thefts across Miami-Dade between Aug. 19 and Sept. 13. Most of the targets were high-end General Motors vehicles, especially Cadillac Escalades and Chevrolet Corvettes.
The suspected toolkit reads like an anti-theft countermeasure checklist: jammers to blind cameras and GPS trackers, key programmers to get in and start the engine, and additional electronics to drive the vehicles away. Some incident reports show the scale of the losses:
Investigators also say a stolen Escalade was recovered at Ruiz's home with its vehicle identification number removed, and that surveillance video shows Ruiz taking part in multiple thefts. A second suspect, 20-year-old Roe Daymel Banos, faces multiple vehicle-theft counts. Neither man has been convicted.
On Sept. 26, arrest reports say Ruiz fled from authorities and crashed. The newer report, described by Local 10, adds that the crash was a hit-and-run involving injuries and that Ruiz ran from the scene on foot. No details were released about who was hurt or how badly.
Deputies say the car Ruiz was driving was a stolen BMW. Inside, according to the reports, they found a blank GM key fob, other uncut fobs, remote transmitters, a signal-jamming device, face masks, and a wireless scanner.
That combination — a crew that specializes in Cadillacs and Corvettes, carrying a blank GM key, moving in a stolen German car — suggests at least some of the vehicles were likely stolen to order.
Ruiz's custody timeline is unusual. The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate search shows he was booked on Sept. 30 and is being held at the Pre-Trial Detention Center. The Oct. 16 arrest in the Kendall case came while he was already in county custody.
As of Oct. 21, Ruiz's jail record lists six felony case numbers, with charges including racketeering; five counts of first-degree grand theft over $100,000; two counts of attempted vehicle theft; possession of burglary tools; five counts of grand theft of a vehicle; and two counts each of unauthorized radio interference and offenses against computer users. The record also shows a probation warrant with no bond, matching Local 10's report that Ruiz was on probation when arrested.
Banos was booked Sept. 26 on a charge of fleeing or eluding police with lights and siren activated. His record lists four separate grand-theft vehicle cases totaling five counts, plus traffic warrants for reckless driving and driving on a suspended license. The documents don't say whether his fleeing charge connects to the Sept. 26 BMW crash.
The alleged method runs into both state and federal law. Florida's computer-crime statute, Section 815.06, prohibits knowingly accessing an electronic device without authorization or disrupting data moving to or from its authorized user. Jamming is an additional federal problem: the FCC says using a jammer violates federal law, with no exemption for homes, businesses, or vehicles, and that selling or marketing jammers to U.S. consumers is illegal as well.
Keep your keys safe and you prevent the thief who takes your keys. You do far less against someone who brings a key of their own. A few layers close gaps this case exposed:
Local 10 reported Oct. 20 that Ruiz was being held without bond, while the jail record lists bond on several of his charges as still to be set. All allegations against Ruiz and Banos come from arrest reports and charging documents; none has been tested in court.
The arrest report doesn't say whether the Kendall Escalade has been found. As far as anyone has said publicly, both original keys are still in the owner's house.
Manufacturers are now facing the same question drivers are: should pairing a new key require more than a laptop and ten minutes at the diagnostic port? Until that changes, the practical answer for owners of six-figure SUVs is layers — a cheap lock, a wired camera, and a garage door down.
Would you put a steering-wheel lock on a vehicle that already has a computer inside it? These days, that question is a lot less ridiculous
