TROY (WWJ) — Troy police investigators believe there may be an information leak that has led to an uptick in iPhone package thefts in the city and across Metro Detroit.
Beginning in September, the Troy Police Department’s Directed Patrol Unit (DPU) became aware of package thefts in the Metro Detroit area. Now suspects in at least four cases have been arrested and officials say the investigation “has led us to believe there is an information leak at either the freight company or cell phone service provider as multiple suspects unrelated to each other have direct information on expected iPhone deliveries.”
Last week the department announced a 23-year-old man who posed as an Amazon delivery driver had been arrested on Oct. 15 for a string of iPhone package thefts.
Troy police officials on Wednesday released more details about three more cases involving package thefts, including a man who posed as a FedEx driver.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, the DPU identified 34-year-old Jose Junior Rosario of New York as the suspect. Police officials say Rosario, wearing a FedEx jacket and hat, drove to a home in Troy and “loitered around the area for several hours.”
An iPhone package was eventually delivered and Rosario allegedly walked up to the front porch, only to find that the owner, who was home at the time, had already retrieved the package, according to police.
But in “what seemed like good fortune for the suspect,” police officials said, the homeowner had left a Mac Pro laptop to be returned in a package on the porch. Rosario allegedly swiped the laptop package and drove off.
Officers, who had been watching the suspect, maintained surveillance until making a traffic stop and arresting him. Authorities found a total of 16 brand new iPhones and a brand-new iPad, all still in the boxes in the trunk.
Rosario, who lives in New York, was arrested, with his US passport in his possession. He was arraigned last Friday on five counts of larceny from mail and driving with a suspended license. His bond was set at $150,000, no 10%.
In a separate case, DPU investigators identified and found a suspect involved in area thefts and made an arrest on Monday, Oct. 21. The suspect was tracked into Sterling Heights and arrested, thanks to the help of Sterling Heights detectives.
Authorities found three stolen packages — one each from Utica, Southfield and Sterling Heights — consisting of three tablets and a sim card.
The following day DPU officers identified and found another suspect vehicle, which went to West Bloomfield, where authorities made a traffic stop. During that stop, four suspects in the car were arrested and five iPhones were recovered.
Troy police officials did not release any information about any of the suspects in either of those cases.
“We commend both our Directed Patrol Unit and Special Investigations Unit for their hard work and dedication to this case. We would also like to thank the Sterling Heights Police Department, SONIC and West Bloomfield Police Department for their assistance on these cases,” Troy police officials said in a press release.
While officials said they suspect an information leak is to blame on behalf of the freight company or the cell phone service provider, no further details have been provided.
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