'Information leak' suspected after wave of local iPhone thefts

After six arrests in a four-day period, Troy police said Wednesday they suspect an information leak has led to a wave of iPhone thefts from customers.

On Monday, officers from the Troy Police Department’s Directed Patrol Unit encountered a suspect accused of stealing iPhone packages delivered to area homes. Officers followed him to Sterling Heights, where they allegedly saw him steal a package, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Authorities arrested the suspect and found the package in his car, along with two other packages allegedly stolen from addresses in Utica and Southfield.

On Tuesday, the Directed Patrol Unit located another suspect accused of similar crimes and stopped his vehicle in West Bloomfield, with the assistance of other agencies, the social media post said. Five iPhones were found in that vehicle and police arrested four people who were in the car.

On Thursday, authorities found another suspect, one wearing a jacket and hat with FedEx logos. Officers reportedly saw the man, later identified as Jose Junior Rosario, 34, of New York, hanging around a house for several hours and eventually approaching the porch after a package was delivered.

Police said the homeowner had already picked up their package when Rosario arrived, but left a Mac Pro laptop on the porch. The product was in the package and the homeowner planned to return it to the retailer, authorities said.

The suspect allegedly took the laptop and drove away from the area. Police said they followed them, eventually making a traffic stop and finding 16 new iPhones and an iPad, all still in their original boxes, in the vehicle.

Rosario was arrested and charged with five counts of theft from mail and driving with a suspended license. He was arraigned Friday in Oakland County 52-4 District Court, where his bond was set at $150,000.

Police have not yet identified the other suspects.

Troy police said they suspect an information leak at the freight company or cell phone carrier because several unrelated suspects have direct information about expected iPhone deliveries.

The latest arrests follow the Oct. 15 arrest of a man wearing an Amazon vest Authorities said he also stole several iPhones that were left at customers’ doors.

Police recommend that iPhone customers make sure a signature is required upon delivery or pick up the phones at a retail location.

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