Police said the woman had just left a Brickell gym when a gray Tesla began following her south.
SOUTH MIAMI, FL — A 50-year-old Pinecrest man was arrested Wednesday after police said he followed a woman from Miami’s Brickell area and exposed himself beside her vehicle at a South Miami intersection last week.
Rogerio Miranda De Souza faces a charge of indecent exposure after a South Miami Police Department investigation into the May 15 encounter. Police said the woman gave detectives a tag number and a physical description of the driver after the incident. Investigators later identified Miranda De Souza as the driver of a gray Tesla Model Y and said the woman picked him out in a photo lineup.
The woman told investigators she had just left a gym in Brickell when she noticed the Tesla following her. Police said the driver followed her south for several miles after she got onto U.S. 1 near Southwest 16th Avenue. In an arrest report, an officer wrote that “the vehicle continued following the victim southbound on S. Dixie Highway while the driver attempted to gain her attention.” The report said the driver also brake checked her in a way that could have caused a crash.
The encounter ended near South Dixie Highway and Southwest 70th Street, police said. Investigators said the woman was stopped in traffic when the Tesla pulled extremely close to the driver’s side of her vehicle. Police said she saw the driver with his pants lowered, exposing himself and engaging in a lewd act while making direct eye contact with her. South Miami police said the woman contacted authorities and gave them information that helped detectives track the vehicle and identify a suspect.
South Miami Police Sgt. Fernando Bosch said the woman was followed aggressively before both vehicles reached the intersection. Police said detectives are reviewing whether the case is connected to other incidents. The department said a neighboring law enforcement agency is conducting a separate investigation involving the same person under similar circumstances. Detectives said they believe there may be additional victims who have not reported encounters to police. Officials did not release details about the other agency’s case or say where that reported incident happened.
The case was investigated as an indecent exposure allegation under Florida law, which covers the exposure or exhibition of sexual organs in public, or where they can be seen from private property, in a vulgar or indecent manner. A first violation is generally treated as a first-degree misdemeanor. Police said Miranda De Souza was arrested Wednesday, five days after the reported encounter. Local reports differed Thursday on his bond status, but authorities said he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County.
The arrest report did not say whether Miranda De Souza and the woman knew each other before the incident. Police also did not describe any physical contact between them. The woman’s account, the license plate information, her description of the driver and the later photo lineup identification were listed by investigators as key steps in the case. Police have not said whether they recovered video from nearby businesses, traffic cameras or the vehicles involved.
The reported route connects Brickell, one of Miami’s busiest urban neighborhoods, with South Miami by way of U.S. 1 and South Dixie Highway. The area near Southwest 70th Street includes heavy commuter traffic, Metrorail access and nearby businesses. Police said the alleged conduct happened while both vehicles were on a public road, turning what began as a following complaint into a criminal investigation involving a lewd act in traffic.
Miranda De Souza is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The next steps include the filing and review of court records, any bond proceedings, and prosecutors’ decision on how to move forward with the misdemeanor case. Detectives also are expected to compare the South Miami report with the separate investigation they said involves similar circumstances.
The case remained active Thursday as police looked for possible additional victims and reviewed related reports. No court date had been publicly detailed in the initial reports.
Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.