Pennsylvania State Police. Photo by James Short.
There has been a rash of recent cell phone carrier package thefts from residents’ homes in Collegeville and Lower Providence, and Pennsylvania State Police have nabbed a Northampton County, Pa. man for allegedly committing such crimes in Worcester and Skippack townships last winter.
Imer Nicholas Medinacuevas, 36, of the 1400 block of Washington Avenue, Northampton, has been charged May 22 with two felony counts of theft by unlawful taking for incidents that occurred between Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, 2023, police allege in court documents.
As of Wednesday, Medinacuevas was in Montgomery County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail, set at arraignment by Magisterial District Judge Patrick O. Krouse.
The investigation began on Nov. 7, 2023 when a resident of Cody Lane in Skippack reported to state police that a package containing three Google Pixel 8 Pro phones valued at $600 each and one Samsung Galaxy S23 phone valued at $700 was stolen off his porch around 4:30 p.m., per the complaint.
Police said a white SUV was following a FedEx truck through the neighborhood. The FedEx driver delivered the package on the porch, and the victim, through his door camera recording, could see a man get out of the SUV and take the package off the porch, police said.
Police said the individual was a light-skinned male, possibly Hispanic, wearing a red T-shirt, blue and white faded skinny jeans, black sneakers, a black mesh hat, and a white surgical mask.
Then, the next day, a resident of Worcester Township reported a package was stolen from his porch. The package contained four new iPhone 15 phones, at a total value of $4,000, police said.
The victim was notified the package was delivered, and when he went to his porch, he found instead an empty box with no label on it, police said. After reviewing surveillance footage, the victim saw the FedEx driver leave the package, and then a man drives up to his house in a white SUV, takes the package, and leaves the empty box, per the complaint.
The thief in the Worcester incident was described as a tall, dark-skinned male, wearing a gray long sleeved shirt, black and white shoes, black Adidas-brand pants, and a black mesh hat, police said.
Skippack State Police prepared and distributed a flyer containing images from both incidents to other area police departments. A detective from Doylestown Police Department contacted police that a suspect was developed for similar incidents in the area, per the affidavit.
Doylestown and East Norriton Township detectives interviewed the suspect, identified as Medinacuevas, at the Northampton Police Department on April 24, 2024, per the complaint.
During the interview, Medinacuevas was shown photos of the state police flyers and then, police allege, signed both photos stating it was him in the photos.
Police said a white Honda CRV was also recovered in possession of Medinacuevas, and a black mesh hat consistent with the hat worn in both thefts.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 10 at 2 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Adam T. Katzman.
