Miami Woman Arrested for Stealing $37,000 Rolex After Tinder Date
A Miami woman has been arrested on grand theft charges after allegedly stealing a $37,000 Rolex and another luxury watch from a man following a Tinder date that ended at his high-rise apartment.
Alexia Jocelyn Flores, 24, was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the theft that occurred in the early hours of September 19 at Panorama Tower, an 85-story luxury skyscraper in Miami's Brickell district. The building, standing 868 feet tall with 821 residential units, is the tallest multi-family building on the eastern seaboard south of New York.
The Alleged Theft
According to police reports, the victim and Flores had matched on Tinder and went to dinner before returning to his apartment unit at 1100 Brickell Bay Drive. The pair spent several hours drinking together before the man asked Flores to leave around 2:30 a.m.
Surveillance footage captured the man escorting Flores to the elevator, where they kissed goodbye. The victim told detectives he remained on the couch while Flores got dressed in the bedroom and bathroom. He only discovered the two watches missing from his nightstand after she had departed.
When the victim attempted to contact the Uber driver he had arranged for Flores, he discovered she had blocked his number. He later provided police with proof of purchase for one of the stolen items: a Rolex valued at $37,000.
On September 21, the victim identified Flores in a six-photo lineup and provided a sworn written statement to detectives.
Suspect's Claims
Investigators located Flores near North Miami Avenue and Northwest 21st Street on Wednesday. During questioning, she acknowledged remembering the Tinder match, dinner date, and visiting the apartment but claimed she believed she had been drugged and could not recall the subsequent timeframe. She denied taking the watches.
Growing Trend of Dating App Crimes
The incident comes amid heightened concern about dating app-related crimes in the region. The FBI's Miami division issued a warning in July 2026 about an increase in dating app robberies throughout South Florida, noting these crimes are particularly dangerous due to the element of violence involved.
The problem extends well beyond South Florida. Federal Trade Commission data shows romance scams resulted in over $1.16 billion in losses from U.S. victims during the first nine months of 2025, with a median individual loss of $2,218. Florida has been especially hard hit, with residents losing more than $63 million to romance scams in 2023 alone, according to the Florida Attorney General's Office.
Research indicates the threat is widespread among dating app users. A 2026 Norton Insights Report found that 34% of current daters reported being targeted by a scam, and of those, 64% fell victim. The FBI's 2025 IC3 Annual Report recorded 23,159 romance fraud complaints totaling over $929 million in losses to victims.
Legal Proceedings
Flores appeared before a judge on Thursday, who appointed her a public defender and ordered her to stay away from the alleged victim. During the hearing, a prosecutor requested bond, noting that Flores has an open prostitution case and was previously arrested in California in July for prostitution.
Under Florida law, grand theft involving property valued at $20,000 or more but less than $100,000 is classified as a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Flores is being held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, a Miami-Dade County detention facility with a capacity of approximately 1,300 inmates, on a $7,500 bond.
