Fake Amazon driver busted for stealing iPhone deliveries off porches in Troy

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A suspect posing as an Amazon driver is under arrest in a stolen iPhone case, tracking the packages and stealing them off porches after they are dropped off.

After an arrest, the calls of other stolen iPhones continued to come into police departments all over Oakland County, leading police to believe this is part of a much bigger ring.

"He looked exactly like anyone you would see walking up to your front porch delivering your Amazon package," said Sgt. Ben Hancock, Troy police.

Ironically you can buy the fake vest the suspect wore, on Amazon. But instead of delivering he was allegedly stealing iPhones.

"A lot, is what we are thinking," Hancock said.

Troy police say it is hard to pin down just how many were taken – it’s been going on for weeks all over Oakland County.

"He would somehow get tipped off as to where these phones are being delivered, then he would show up shortly after where the delivery was made," Hancock said.

He swapped an empty package for the filled one driving off in a Dodge Caravan, with a paper plate.

Sometimes in policing, it’s better to be lucky than good - that’s what happened to some undercover officers last week during a separate investigation in Troy.

"The suspect vehicle pulled out right in front of them," he said. "So they kind of transitioned into working that vehicle, followed him around the area for a little bit and once everyone was in the area they initiated a traffic stop on him."

Police arrested 23-year-old Yohangel Polanco-Melo. The suspect was in the US illegally, now facing deportation and held on a $50,000 bond on larceny charges.

But – the weird part after Polanco-Melo’s arrest, a cascade of phone calls continued with reports of more stolen iPhones.

Videos have been circulating on social media suggesting a more organized ring operating right now.

"It was delivered at 4:15 and then at 4:30 we got we weren’t home. We got a Ring notification that car stopped here and then it drove by," said Kourtney Coe. "And then he ran up and took the package real quick - then he was gone."

The thief in Kourtney Coe’s case – in Berkley - doesn’t look like Polanco-Melo but could be connected.

When she called AT&T to report it - "They didn’t seem surprised," she said. "They were like, 'Okay,  we will get you a new one.'"

Police believe there’s a bigger fish here, someone on the inside – with either Amazon or the phone carriers.

"We're still trying to piece together how exactly they are finding out where these packages are being delivered," said Hancock.

Yohangel Polanco-Melo.