18 Crimes That Were Solved Thanks to Surveillance Footage

1) A Foil-Covered Bank Robbery

Two would-be Brazilian bank robbers were apprehended in 2016 after they tried to use head-to-toe
foil suits to fool the alarms at a Santa Catarina bank. Even if that had worked, the guys probably
should have focused their escape intentions on the security cameras, which picked up the robbers as
they crawled through the bank and tried to break into the safe. Police were immediately called and
the two men were taken into custody.

2) The Abduction of a 22-Year-Old Woman

Carlesha Freeland-Gaither was abducted in Philadelphia in 2014. Local police were aided by cops
from Maryland who saw surveillance footage and connected the dots back to a man they suspected
of a crime in their jurisdiction. The police tracked down the car that was used in the crime, rescued
Freeland-Gaiter, and arrested the man.

3) The Case of Grand Theft Livestock

"Grand Theft Livestock" is an actual thing and two Florida men were charged with the crime after
stealing cows from a Florida ranch. More than one surveillance camera was used to track down the
cattle rustlers in a story that seems more befitting of the Old West than modern times. Unfortunately,
the cattle were sold at an auction and sent to butcher before the perpetrators were caught.

4) The Boston Marathon Bomber

The Boston Bomber story captivated the nation in April 2013. The terrorist attack was followed by a
days long and very public investigation that was broadcasted over nearly every news network.
Surveillance videos were integral in identifying the suspects and their eventual captures. The videos
revealed the Tsarnaev brothers and their movements during the Boston Marathon and subsequent
bombings.

5) The First Criminal Caught by Police Drone Surveillance

These four men, who were pulled over for suspected drunk driving, probably didn't set out to be the
first, but they hold the honor nonetheless. Upon being pulled over, they jumped out of their car and
into a nearby cornfield. Officers then unleashed the newest weapon in their arsenal: a thermal
imaging capable drone. With thermal eyes in the sky, it was easy for the officers to find the men and
charge them with multiple offenses.

6) The Murder Solved by Lowe's Security Footage

Police suspected George Tiaffay of murdering his wife, but they had no real evidence that he actually
did, until they looked at Lowe's surveillance footage that it. The footage showed Tiaffay and an
unknown man going to Lowe's and purchasing the hammer that was used to murder his wife. It turns
out that Tiaffay hired a homeless man to kill his wife and went with him to buy the murder weapon.

7) The Murder of Leiby Kletzky

Leiby Kletzky was an eight-year-old boy who disappeared after school in 2011. Footage from several
different surveillance cameras were pieced together by Yaakov German to solve the boy's
disappearance. Kletzky was tracked a certain ways on the cameras before he appeared to disappear
with an unknown man. The identity of the man was discovered shortly thereafter and he admitted to
the murder of the child.
8) The London Nail Bomber

The London Nail Bomber terrorized London in 1999. It took three bombings, 13 days, and a whole lot
of surveillance footage to identify, find, and capture the terrorist behind the Nail Bombs. David
Copeland is now serving six life sentences for his crimes.

9) The Disappearance of Hannah Graham

In 2014, shortly after Hannah Graham had begun attending the University of Virginia, she went
missing. Police knew she had been at a party that night and multiple surveillance cameras showed
her wandering around the campus streets late at night. What the police didn't know is what happened
after that. After reviewing all of the footage, police identified a suspect on the cameras. The man
turned out to be the one responsible for Graham's death and was charged in the case.

10) The Thirsty Naked Serial Burglar

A city in Georgia had a rather peculiar spree of robberies in 2014. A man - who was always
completely naked, save for a cowboy hat - was caught on multiple home surveillance systems
breaking into homes. He then proceeded to drink beer, eat food, and listen to music in some of the
houses. The police apprehended him not long after his spree.

11) The Burglars Who Came Back for Seconds

A pair of burglars broke a window and stole a bag from a family home but were apparently not
satisfied with their haul. They later broke back into the home while the family was asleep. Luckily, no
one was hurt and the thieves were caught on camera. The police quickly identified and arrested the
two men.

12) The Woman Who Caught the Second Thieves

For one woman, having her home burglarized once was more than enough. After the first incident,
she equipped her home with surveillance cameras she could view from work. Lo and behold, one day
while she was at work, she checked in on the cameras and saw that her house was being actively
robbed. She called the authorities who rushed over to her house immediately and caught the thief.

13) The Murder of Suzanne Pilley

David Gilroy was having an affair with his colleague, Suzanne Pilley, but she wanted to end it.
According to police, Gilroy then murdered Pilley. Though there was no DNA evidence, police
meticulously recreated the events of the days before and after Pilley's murder and discovered the
circumstances that lead to Pilley's murder and the steps to which Gilroy went to cover his tracks after
that. Though Pilley's body was never found, Gilroy was charged with murder thanks to the extensive
surveillance footage, among other evidence.

14) The Hate Crime Solved by Twitter

In Philadelphia in 2014, two gay men were savagely beaten by a group of men and women. When
police released footage of the attackers from earlier in the evening, a Twitter user got to work and
quickly identified the perpetrators. Two men and one woman were charged in the attack. \

15) Hundreds Arrested for UK Riots

The 2011 riots were a tumultuous time for the United Kingdom. Thousands rioted and looted in the
streets in the days after a man was shot and killed by police. The riots resulted in several deaths and
scores of injuries to both police and rioters. After the rioting stopped, hundreds of arrests were made
thanks to surveillance footage of the events. Individuals were charged with everything from
manslaughter to arson.

16) The Police Officer Who Shot Levar Jones

Levar Jones was getting out of his car at a gas station when a confrontation with officer Sean
Groubert broke out. After asking for Jones's license, Groubert can be seen running towards the man
and firing four shots at him, for no apparent reason. Thanks to the surveillance video on the patrol
car, Groubert was fired from his position and faces up to 20 years in prison. Jones's gunshot would
was not life threatening.

17) The Serial Killer

Back in 2005, the murder of Patricia McDermott was a baffling story. Then officers obtained the
footage from some relatively new surveillance cameras. They clearly showed a man who randomly
walked up behind McDermott and shot her in the back of the head for no apparent reason, but the
man's face was obscured fro view. Later, a second surveillance camera showed the same man
entering a hospital. This led police to Juan Covington, who quickly confessed to the murder. But he
didn't stop there. He then also confessed to multiple other murders and attempted murders.
Item Image

18) The Murder of James Bulger

James (not Whitey) Bulger was only two-years-old when he was abducted, tortured, and murdered by
two 10-year-old boys. The horrific crime occurred in London in 1993 and was solved thanks to a
grocery store's surveillance cameras.