Spring Hill, TN residents have recently learned that iPhone porch theft is not strictly a problem limited to big cities, as police in the small city have arrested two porch pirates that had stolen four new iPhones from customers’ doorsteps nearly immediately as soon as they were delivered, reports WKRN.
The Spring Hill Police Department (SHPD) says the two alleged thieves weren’t simply following a FedEx delivery truck around in hopes of a score. Instead. they are members of a crime syndicate that somehow have inside information about iPhone deliveries and know when and where the devices will be delivered.
SHPD Police were in search of a pair of thieves on Monday morning after one of the porch pirates strolled up to the porch of Rebecca Clark’s Spring Hill home and stole her husband’s brand new iPhone 16. The device had been delivered by a FedEx driver just a few minutes earlier.
“I had my husband’s iPhone delivered to our house and 20 minutes later, it got snatched off the porch,” Clark said.
“We knew it was coming and we live in a very safe neighborhood,” Clark added. “We figured I’d go home at lunch, grab the phone, but it got taken.”
A few hours later, police stopped a car carrying of two men and four stolen iPhones. The men, who spoke very little English, were from out of town. Police body cam footage shows one of the suspect sitting in the back of the squad car telling police that he was from New York.
One of the four new iPhones was the one the thieves had taken from Clark’s front porch. Clark said that the iPhone taken from her porch retails for close to $1,500.
“I had no idea how they knew what we were getting, what we were getting, when it was coming,” Clark said. “I had no idea.”
Investigators say the duo are members of a crime syndicate that somehow gets their hands on confidential delivery information, purchases airline tickets and rents vehicles,” allowing their people to travel to specified locations around the country. The operatives then steal the iPhones immediately following their delivery. The thieves appear to know exactly where and when the iPhones would be delivered
“Somebody who has access to the manifest or the delivery list is giving out information,” Foster said.
Foster thanked FedEx for its cooperation with Spring Hill PD, providing delivery schedules police, allowing detectives to arrest the thieves while they were conducting their evil mission.
“They were able to provide us with information that led to the ultimate arrest of these individuals and they were hitting multiple houses,” said Foster. “We were able to disrupt their operation.”