BOYNTON BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A Boca Raton man is facing a felony grand theft auto charge in a Boynton Beach case that investigators say began with a car left running outside a store and ended with the vehicle recovered days later along Interstate 95 in Broward County.
Michael Rocky Uwanawich, 30, was arrested by Boynton Beach Police and charged under Florida’s grand theft auto statute, according to arrest paperwork filed in the case. His listed address is on Northwest 53rd Street in Boca Raton.
The case centers on the theft of a black 2012 Hyundai Sonata from outside BMT Discount Beverage, 566 E. Gateway Blvd. in Boynton Beach. Police wrote that the vehicle was being driven by Mackentosh Eliacin, who told officers he had parked in front of the business and gone inside, leaving the car running in the lot. The keys, police wrote, remained with him while he was inside.
When Eliacin came back out a short time later, the car was gone.
Police said the Hyundai was registered to Sandese Dorceus, who gave authorization for the vehicle to be reported stolen. Investigators wrote that both Dorceus and Eliacin wanted criminal charges pursued if a suspect was identified.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Boynton Beach Police reviewed exterior surveillance video from the business and saw a white male wearing a gray GAP hoodie and black pants leave the store, get into the running Hyundai, and drive away westbound on East Gateway Boulevard.
Investigators then circulated a “Need to Identify” bulletin with a still image from the store’s surveillance system. Detective C. Rivera wrote that he later used a facial recognition search and followed that with additional investigation, including comparing the surveillance image with known photos of Uwanawich.
Police said the stolen Hyundai later showed up through a license plate reader hit at about 11:29 p.m. the same day, parked on the shoulder of southbound I-95 near East Copans Boulevard in Broward County. The Florida Highway Patrol recovered the vehicle the next day from that same area, according to the affidavit.
The investigation did not stop there.
Rivera wrote that police also looked at a separate Boynton Beach auto theft from Nov. 23, 2025, involving a gray 2016 Nissan Altima stolen from outside a CVS at 301 N. Federal Highway. In that case, police said the vehicle had also been left running while the victim was inside a business with the keys in hand. The next day, Rivera wrote, Uwanawich was found operating that stolen car in Broward County. Investigators said the way both vehicles were taken and later found in Broward County showed a similar pattern.
On Feb. 12, detectives went to Uwanawich’s last known Boca Raton address but made no contact there, the affidavit states.
On March 17, Rivera returned to BMT Beverage and interviewed store owner Arshad Jan, who had not been present when officers first responded. Police said Jan agreed to view a six-person photo lineup that was administered by an officer who was not involved in the investigation. According to the affidavit, Jan identified Uwanawich from the lineup. Rivera also wrote that Jan separately identified the same man from a still surveillance image and said he remembered speaking face-to-face with him at the register during the visit to the store.
Based on victim statements, surveillance footage, the photo lineup, and what police described as corroborating evidence, Rivera wrote that there was probable cause to charge Uwanawich with grand theft auto.
The charge listed in the arrest paperwork is a felony violation of Florida Statute 812.014(2)(c)(6). Court information on the arrest form lists the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach.
For Boca Raton readers, the case is another example of a local resident being tied to an out-of-city criminal investigation through surveillance and follow-up detective work. The arrest paperwork also underscores something police agencies repeat often in auto theft cases: a running, unsecured vehicle can be gone in seconds, even in a busy commercial parking lot.
