Billerica police arrest suspected porch pirates who are stealing iPhones red-handed

BILLERICA – Police quickly apprehended a pair of suspects who tried to steal freshly delivered iPhones from a Nealley Street porch, using a stolen tracking number to locate the package.

Daneuri Diaz Romero, 24, and Yonaykin Miguel Guerrero Peguero, 26, both of Boston, were charged with theft of more than $1,200 for their failed scheme. Guerrero Peguero, the alleged getaway driver, faces additional charges after he attempted to flee the scene, dragging his partner about 100 feet in an SUV while a police officer pursued on foot.

Billerica police said they began monitoring iPhone deliveries by FedEx on Wednesday after receiving information about “a statewide epidemic” of Apple products being stolen from homes after delivery.

According to a police incident report, the suspects had knowledge of tracking numbers and would steal packages shortly after they were delivered by FedEx.

As part of the investigation, police identified planned FedEx iPhone deliveries in the area on Wednesday, including one on Nealley Street. Using tracking numbers to determine delivery times, officers monitored the area.

After the iPhone package was delivered to Nealley Street, police said Officer Patrick O’Brien went to the home, explained the situation to the resident and was given permission to wait inside the door. O’Brien’s goal was to arrest the suspects red-handed as they attempted to steal the package, which contained two iPhones.

According to O’Brien’s report, about ten minutes after the package was delivered, he saw a yellow Honda CR-V with two men driving by the house. O’Brien watched from his hiding place as the vehicle turned into a nearby driveway and then stopped just in front of the house.

O’Brien reported seeing a man wearing an Amazon delivery vest get out of the passenger side of the Honda. He approached the front door carrying a cardboard box similar in size to the iPhone package he allegedly wanted to steal. According to the report, O’Brien quickly opened the door and saw the suspect now holding the delivered iPhone package as he walked back to the Honda.

“The suspect then turned around and looked at me with a scared look on his face as I opened the door, and that’s when the suspect started running with the package in his hand,” O’Brien said in the report.

O’Brien said he ordered the suspect to stop and chased him toward the SUV. The suspect shouted at his partner, who then accelerated towards Boston Road. The suspect allegedly threw the iPhone package on the ground, clung to the passenger door and dragged it across the road. The vehicle slowed briefly to allow the suspect to get into the front passenger seat before driving away, O’Brien said.

The report revealed that the SUV then turned onto Boston Road without stopping at the stop sign, causing several cars to brake hard to avoid a collision. The vehicle then sped south toward Burlington.

About five minutes later, Burlington police stopped the Honda near the intersection of Cambridge and Bedford streets, about two miles from the scene of the alleged crime. Guerrero Peguero was identified as the alleged driver. O’Brien stated that when he arrived on the scene, he recognized the passenger, Diaz Romero, as the suspect who moments earlier walked away from him on Nealley Street.

During the search for the vehicle, police said they found an Amazon delivery vest that matched what Diaz Romero was reportedly wearing. They also discovered a cell phone mounted on the driver’s side dashboard that was actively providing GPS directions.

Police said the box Diaz Romero carried to the Nealley Street home was left on the porch and was later discovered to be an empty decoy.

How the suspects obtained the package’s tracking number is still under investigation.

In addition to the theft charge, Guerrero Peguero was charged with failure to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign and speeding.

Both men were arraigned Thursday in Lowell District Court by Judge Daniel Crane. Diaz Romero was held on $2,500 bail, while Guerrero Peguero was held on $1,500 bail. They are expected to return to court on November 27 for hearings.

According to the police report, Diaz Romero had an active federal arrest warrant from the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Concord, New Hampshire, as he was wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A federal detainee for Diaz Romero was released.

Diaz Romero’s attorney, Peter Garrigan, was unavailable for comment, while Guerrero Peguero’s attorney Daniel Murphy declined to discuss the case.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis