Caller’s Suspicious Vehicle Tip Leads To Roadside Arrest Of Package Thief

This section is based on data provided to Pascack Press weekly by neighborhood police departments. Due to pending court appearances and other variations, the following information shall be read in ‘press time’ context.

EMERSON, N.J.—An Iowa man who waited outside a Jordan Road residence then intercepted a package containing two fraudulently purchased Apple iPhones was arrested by Emerson Police after a resident tipped them off to a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood, Capt. Michael McDermott told Pascack Press.

Jonathan Thwaites, 31, of Grove City, Iowa, was stopped by Officer Glenn Howard on Forest Road on Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m. after his car matched the description of the suspicious vehicle, McDermott said.

In plain sight inside the car, Howard saw a package with the shipping label torn off. A roadside investigation revealed that the package contained two new Apple iPhones, which had been shipped to a Jordan Road resident.

Howard was able to speak to the resident to whom the iPhones had been shipped, and was advised that her Verizon account was compromised and two devices had been fraudulently purchased in her name.

Investigation revealed that Thwaites had been allegedly sitting outside the Jordan Road home when the delivery man arrived, at which point he exited his car and used a fraudulent New Jersey license to obtain the packages and leave.

Thwaites, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was charged with receiving stolen property and possession of fraudulent documents. He also received six motor vehicle summonses.

A police investigation is ongoing.

Thwaites was taken to Bergen County Jail. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has issued a detainer on him.