MIAMI – A man who worked at his family’s South Florida car dealership could face more than a decade in federal prison after a jury convicted him of carjacking a customer, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

Prosecutors said the whole thing stemmed from an autopay issue that caused the victim to miss a loan payment on a 2020 Honda Accord.

The Miami federal jury convicted Erik Hadad, 58, of Aventura, on Tuesday, a DOJ news release states. Hadad worked at Guru Auto Sales, which was located at 2690 S. State Road 7 in Miramar. The business is listed on Google as “permanently closed.”

Authorities said the victim, a 24-year-old Haitian immigrant, bought the car from Guru in October 2023 and was not given a copy of the sales paperwork he signed.

“In making the purchase, the victim understood that he was paying a finance company,” the news release. “What the victim was not aware of was that there was an agreement between the finance company and Guru, and if the victim was late on a payment within the first two months of the loan, then the finance company could demand the approximately $13,800 it paid for the loan back from the dealership.”

Prosecutors continued, “That part of the agreement mattered because the victim’s first payment bounced after he set up autopay, with the victim paying the first installment late and with a late fee in late November 2023.”

Authorities said because of that, the finance company sent Guru a letter on Dec. 14, 2023, saying that the dealership needed to buy the loan back and owed about $13,000.

Prosecutors said the carjacking occurred five days later, even though the victim “was current on his account that day” and the dealership “was expressly told they couldn’t repossess the car.”

Nevertheless, authorities said Hadad followed the victim in a BMW near Miami International Airport.

Prosecutors said when the victim reached a red light at Le Jeune Road and Northwest 31st Street, “Hadad, whom the victim had never met before, got out of the black BMW in the middle of the intersection and approached the victim’s Honda, ripping off the paper temporary tag and aggressively yelling at the victim to get out of the car.”

“The victim was able to get away when the light turned green, but Hadad eventually caught up to the victim” at the MIA Tri-Rail station, authorities said, and Hadad “continued aggressively screaming for the victim to get out of the car.”

“Hadad lifted his shirt to reveal that he had a gun holstered in his waistband, which led the victim to surrender his keys,” the news release states.

The victim, “in shock,” called Miami-Dade police, who arrested Hadad, initially on state charges, and located the gun. The case later became federal as the Honda was, according to a federal indictment, “transported, shipped and received in interstate and foreign commerce.”

Hadad, an Israeli national, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 9, prosecutors said.

According to the federal carjacking statute, Hadad could spend up to 15 years behind bars.

“Florida!!!” Are you ready to welcome Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” shows the Sunshine State way?

The second U.S. leg of Swift’s super-successful “Eras Tour” is starting in Florida this month, when “Miss Americana” kicks things off with three shows in Miami in less than a week away.

But even if you don’t have tickets to the “Eras Tour” (Miami version), there are plenty of Swift-inspired events to attend in the days around her shows at Hard Rock Stadium.

Here’s when and where Taylor Swift’s Miami shows are, some Swift-themed events happening around Miami the weekend of her concerts and how to watch “The Eras Tour” movie.

Are you ready for it? See countdown to Swift’s first Miami show

When are the Miami ‘Eras Tour’ dates? Swifties have three weeks left

Taylor Swift will perform near Miami, Florida, on Thursday, Oct. 18, through Saturday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens. She will then head to three other North American cities for the remainder of the Eras Tour:

• Oct. 25-27: New Orleans, Caesars Superdome
• Nov. 1-3: Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium
• Nov. 14-16, Nov. 21-23: Toronto, Rogers Centre

Where is the Hard Rock Stadium located?

Hard Rock Stadium is in Miami Gardens, on Don Shula Drive. The last time Swift performed at Hard Rock Stadium was on her 2018 Reputation Tour.

Tickets too expensive? Didn’t get into the presale? No worries, see Taylor Swift-inspired events during concert weekend

Here are some Taylor Swift-themed events happening around the Miami area from Friday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 20:

Taylor Swift Friendship Bracelet Making Station – Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay is hosting complimentary friendship bracelet making stations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 18 through 20 in the hotel lobby.

Taylor Swift Cowboy Hat Making Station – Kimpton EPIC Hotel’s pop-up is hosting an event with local shop Hats & Hats to decorate cowboy chats, running daily from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 through Oct. 20.

Souvenir Pop-Up Shop – Grab a souvenir to remember the Eras Tour at Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s special pop-up shop. The pop-up will be open October 18-20 for guests of the hotel.

Eras Tour Movie Night – The Eden Roc Miami Beach will be streaming The Eras Tour film along with the concert on Friday, Oct. 18.

Taylor Swift Brunch at World of Beer – Enjoy a brunch filled with Taylor Swift’s greatest hits at World of Beer on Oct.19 from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. The event is free but few tickets are left. Find tickets here.

Eras Tour Pre-Party – Hosted by the team behind the 13: A Taylor Swift Fan Podcast, this event will take place on Saturday, October 19, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Tickets start at $13.

Pre-concert ‘Par-Tay’ – Pre-concert party at Bleau Bar with favorite Swift songs before the big show. The party will take place on Sunday, October 19 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

Pool ‘Par-Tay’ – Dive into the ultimate Taylor Swift pool party at Tidal Cove’s 5-acre waterpark on Oct. 19 through Oct. 20. The event is complimentary for guests of the resort; however, a limited number of public access tickets and cabanas were released on Friday, Oct. 4.

Didn’t get ticket to ‘Eras Tour’ or a Swiftie event? Here’s where to stream concert movie

The streaming version of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)” film hit Disney+ back in March, with five additional songs for Swifties to scream their heart out to.

Variety reported “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” pulled in $261.7 million at the global box office after its Oct. 13 debut, making it the highest-grossing concert film to date. On Dec. 13, Swift’s birthday, the film was released digitally on Amazon Prime.

The Miami Children’s Museum is celebrating October with ghoulish fun, and Deco’s got the exclusive peek at all their Hallow-weenie excitement.
Fortunately for those of us who are bravery impaired, this year features haunted houses for the fearless and the scaredy-cats.

October at the Miami Children’s Museum is all about the screams.

Child 1 (walking through haunted house): “No!”

What’s the most scary?

Child 1: “Every single part.”

Child 2: “Nothing.”

Split opinion. Well, that’s because there’s a scary and not-so-scary Halloween to feel.

Deborah Spiegelman, CEO of Miami Children’s Museum: “We provide all types of opportunities so kids can have a not-so-scary experience, and then parents can come back through our haunted house and get the fright of it all.”

The really little ones can walk throughout this fright path to just take in the spooky ambiance.

Deborah Spiegelman: “The haunted house is filled with all types of haunted things. You’ve got scarecrows, you’ve got skeletons, you’ve got noise, you’ve got activities. You gotta come down and see for yourself. I can’t give it all away.”

Kicking off this ghoulish month is one of the museum’s biggest fundraiser events.

Deborah Spiegelman: “We’re a nonprofit, so our sponsors are very important, so we can provide access and great programs to the community. Everything from a fire truck to a police motorcycle, remote control boats, our art gallery, our music gallery. We have our great dinosaur exhibit, so you can come back into a prehistoric Halloween and meet the characters.”

The Salty’s artisan donuts are filling the spot to help bring in the dough for the museum.

Andres Rodriguez, owner of The Salty: “We got to not only come, but we also had a beautiful table set up with donuts for goodie take-home gifts for everyone, and we had coffee flowing for caffeinating the parents. We bring our son here all the time, which is how we kind of discovered the museum.”

You know, making the hard decision as a parent is a must.

Andres Rodriguez: “My 5-year-old son had a fun time walking through. They were really good about asking what kind of experience we wanted, from the scariest to the least scary, there’s something for everybody.”

FOR MORE INFO:
Miami Children’s Museum
980 MacArthur Causeway
Miami, Florida 33132
miamichildrensmuseum.org/tickets-admissions

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