JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A car break-in on Baymeadows Road was caught on camera by the car itself.

Video from a Tesla’s surveillance system shows a crouched man skulk along the side of the car, use a tool to bust the window, then jump in to retrieve a bag.

A Jacksonville man was surprised to learn that his two-year-old’s diaper bag was the target of the smash-and-grab Saturday afternoon.

“When I think about the situation, I still feel very nervous,” said the victim, who asked not to include his name.

The victim says he has felt nervous ever since he walked out of a shipping store on Baymeadows Road to find the glass of his car’s window shattered on the ground.

Missing inside – his child’s diaper bag, which was more valuable than usual.

“We collected something from the bank; we put it in the baby’s bag,” the victim said.

This victim says he stopped at the bank before the shipping place to pick up some cash before a trip.

Between the bag and the cost to replace the window, he says he’s out about $5,000.

“I’m so surprised, in the broad daylight, no one noticed,” said the victim. “Also surprised, in 2025, there are no cameras in the parking lot.”

Fortunately, there are plenty of cameras on his car, which also captured this video on the other side, appearing to show the masked man get into a car parked right next to him.

He says that car looked familiar.

“That it was the same car, which I noticed was parked in the Bank of America next to us,” said the victim. “I think this guy followed us for an hour.”

First Coast News Crime and Safety Analyst Ken Jefferson says crimes that start in one place and wind up in another are more common than you’d think.

“A lot of times, we underestimate the intelligence of criminals,” said Jefferson. “There’s a lot of criminals that are very methodical. Obviously, he believes there’s something in the back that he would follow this individual to see if he makes one mistake.”

He points out that despite all the angles, smash and grabs tend to be hard to solve.

“The way they get caught is if there’s a string of these types of things happening versus an isolated situation,” said Jefferson.

The victim says he’s hoping they’ll still be able to take their trip with such a significant financial hit, but at least they’re physically OK.

“Whatever is stolen is stolen,” said the victim. “It’s gone. Thank God we’re lucky we were not in the car.”

A First Coast News crew checked in at several of the businesses right by where this car was parked, and sure enough, each one said they knew about the incident because police came in to ask them if they saw anything, but none had cameras facing out to the parking lot.

The victim is hoping that if he can’t recover what was stolen, this may at least serve as an incentive for the Baymeadows Village shopping plaza to install cameras.