It started with a missing Mercedes in the middle of the night.
A luxury SUV vanished from a quiet parking lot off Washington Road in West Palm Beach — and by sunrise, several drivers were waking up to smashed‑into cars and bad news.
Police say the trail began the way so many South Florida cases do:
grainy surveillance video… a license‑plate reader hit… and a suspect who didn’t get far.
Meet the man investigators say is behind it:
Joshua Burroughs Jr.
Cameras allegedly caught a white Volkswagen SUV rolling into the lot just before the Mercedes disappeared. Detectives say other cars were rifled through with no signs of forced entry — and photos of the stolen SUV later turned up on Burroughs’ phone.
When officers closed in, he ran.
They found him minutes later inside a Deerfield Beach home.
How they tracked him:
License‑plate reader data followed the stolen Mercedes from West Palm Beach → Lake Worth → Broward County.
The SUV was recovered in Pompano Beach.
According to investigators, Burroughs admitted he’d been inside the stolen vehicle and said he and another person drove north to commit burglaries.
Detectives are still pulling video, phone data, and building the case.
What he’s facing now:
Burglary.
Grand theft auto.
Criminal mischief.
Prosecutors will decide the final charges once the reports are complete. The investigation is still active, and police want to hear from anyone who saw something that night.
A reminder from law enforcement:
Car break‑ins remain a stubborn problem across Palm Beach County.
Lock your doors.
Hide your valuables.
Report anything that feels off.