Teenager held
in GPS theft

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Police in Northeast Philadelphia say they have a teenager in custody responsible for stealing global positioning system (GPS) receivers and other valuables from more than a dozen parked cars in the last month.
Yet, a police official warned, motorists are still vulnerable to a recent surge in vehicle break-ins locally.
William Weiss, 19, of the 2800 block of Belgrade St. in Port Richmond, has been charged with 13 thefts from autos and is a suspect in numerous similar crimes, said Capt. Jack McGinnis of Northeast Detectives.
The 13 offenses now pinned on Weiss all occurred in the Franklin Mills mall area between Feb. 7 and March 9. Invariably, Weiss would spot a desired item inside a parked vehicle, break the window, grab the object and flee, McGinnis said.
In nine of the 13 cases, Weiss allegedly made off with GPS systems. He also took purses, laptop computers, wristwatches and credit cards, McGinnis said. Investigators suspect that Weiss sold the stolen items to support a drug habit.
"These are things he could get rid of easily," McGinnis said. "People leave them on their windows and in plain view."
Investigating detectives developed Weiss as a suspect on one of the crimes and obtained a search warrant for his house. There they allegedly found evidence linking him to the other cases and arrested him. He was charged formally last Thursday.
There are many other crooks on the streets committing similar crimes, however, according to McGinnis.
"The message we’re trying to get across (to people) is don’t leave anything in your car," the captain said. "It’s an easy thing to do. I’ll bet you it doesn’t take more than five seconds to break a window, reach into a car, and (items are) gone."
Motorists who use GPS systems and other window-mount equipment may find themselves targeted even if they remove the devices from their windows. Savvy crooks have learned to look for the ring of film left behind by the suction cups used by window units.
"We got information from another police department that they’re looking for the telltale rings," McGinnis said.
To be ultra safe, motorists can carry disposable wipes with them to clean their windows. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com