Pair charged in
Torresdale scams

It wasn’t enough for Michael Thompson and Maurice Waters to just break into a car and steal it. They wanted the owner to turn over his keys and title, police claim.
On June 6, the two men tried to commit two scams in a span of about 10 minutes in the Torresdale neighborhood, according to authorities. Now investigators are trying to find out if they’ve committed any other similar crimes.
Thompson, 26, of the 7000 block of Oxford Ave., and Waters, 26, of the 6000 block of N. Norwood St., were arrested that day on charges of auto theft, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, attempted auto theft, attempted theft by deception and two counts of impersonating a public servant.
According to Detectives John Bradbury and Jim Severa of Northeast Detectives, a woman living near State Road and Linden Avenue heard her car alarm that afternoon, looked out her front door and saw Waters allegedly leaning inside her 1996 Nissan rooting through the glove box.
When she confronted the man and his companion, Thompson, they allegedly identified themselves as city employees who were assigned to clear the street for an impending construction project. Waters allegedly said he broke into the car to try and find out the identity of the owner. The female victim described the duo as smooth talkers.
"They tried to talk their way out of it," said the victim, who asked that her name not be printed. "(Waters) did all the talking, but the other guy said he worked for the city, too. (Waters) did not hesitate when I told him if the city was going to work on the street, they would have posted it. He kept on going. This was not his first time." The victim took her papers, shut her door, locked it and called 911. The men left in a white Ford Explorer. The woman noted the license plate number and told the police operator.
Officers from the 8th Police District, as well as off-duty Highway Patrol Officer Joe Luce, who happened to be in the neighborhood and in uniform after returning from court, heard the descriptions of the men and surveyed the area.
About 10 minutes later, Luce spotted the Explorer being driven by a man on the 8800 block of Cottage St. It appeared to be following a 1990 Mazda Miata driven by a second man. Luce stopped both vehicles on the 8700 block of Frankford Ave. After the female victim identified the men, they were arrested.
Police later discovered that the Miata belonged to a man in his 60s living in the Liddonfield Homes. Officers from the 8th district recognized the car because they had ticketed it numerous times for expired registration and inspection. Health problems had prevented the owner from using the car.
According to Bradbury and Severa, the owner told detectives that the men had gotten into the car, found some of the old tickets and come to his apartment. Though the man had paid his old tickets, the suspects — again posing as city workers — convinced him that he would have to pay heavily for towing and storage, unless he turned over the car’s title and keys to them.
The men offered to pay $65 for the car, although they told the victim they’d have to come back to give him the cash, the detectives said. Anyone targeted by a similar scam is asked to report the incident to police at 215-686-3153. ••