Police in Billerica caught alleged pirates stealing iPhones red-handed

BILLERICA — Police quickly arrested two suspects who tried to steal freshly delivered iPhones from a Nealley Street porch by using a stolen tracking number to zero out the package.

Daneuri Diaz Romero, 24, and Yonaykin Miguel Guerrero Peguero, 26, of Boston, were charged with theft over $1,200 for the failed scheme. Guerrero Peguero, the alleged getaway driver, faces additional charges after he tried to flee the scene and dragged his partner in an SUV about 100 feet while an officer chased him on foot.

Billerica police said they began monitoring FedEx iPhone deliveries on Wednesday after receiving reports of a “statewide epidemic” of Apple products being stolen from homes after delivery.

According to a police incident report, the suspects knew the tracking numbers and stole the packages shortly after they were delivered by FedEx.

As part of the investigation, police identified scheduled FedEx iPhone deliveries on Wednesday in the area, including a delivery on Nealley Street. Officers monitored the area using tracking numbers to determine delivery times.

After the iPhone package was delivered to Nealley Street, police said Officer Patrick O’Brien went to the home, explained the situation to the resident and was given permission to wait inside by the door. O’Brien’s goal was to catch the suspects red-handed as they tried to steal a package containing two iPhones.

According to O’Brien’s report, about 10 minutes after the package was delivered, he noticed a yellow Honda CR-V with two men driving by the house. From his hiding place, O’Brien watched as the vehicle turned around in a nearby driveway and then stopped directly in front of the house.

O’Brien reported seeing a man wearing an Amazon delivery vest get out of the passenger side of the Honda. He approached the front door carrying a cardboard box similar in size to the iPhone package he allegedly stole. According to the report, O’Brien quickly opened the door and as he returned to the Honda, he saw the suspect now holding a delivered package containing an iPhone.

“The suspect then turned and looked at me with a horrified expression as I opened the door and then began running away with the package in his hand,” O’Brien stated in the report.

O’Brien said he ordered the suspect to stop and chased him toward the SUV. The suspect shouted at his partner, who then accelerated toward Boston Road. The suspect allegedly threw the iPhone package on the ground, stuck it to the passenger side door and was dragged along the road. O’Brien said the vehicle slowed down momentarily so the suspect could get into the front passenger seat and then drove away.

The report said the SUV then turned onto Boston Road without stopping at a stop sign, forcing several cars to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. The vehicle then drove south towards Burlington.

About five minutes later, Burlington police stopped the Honda near the intersection of Cambridge and Bedford streets, about two miles from the scene of the alleged crime. Guerrero Peguero was identified as the alleged driver. O’Brien stated that when he arrived on the scene, he recognized passenger Diaz Romero as the suspect who had fled from him on Nealley Street moments earlier.

During a search of the vehicle, police found an Amazon delivery vest matching what Diaz Romero was allegedly wearing. They also discovered a cell phone mounted on the driver’s side dashboard actively providing GPS directions.

Police said the box Diaz Romero took to the Nealley Street home was left on the porch and was later found to be an empty bait.

How the suspects obtained the tracking number remains under investigation.

In addition to the theft charge, Guerrero Peguero was charged with failure to stop for police, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign and speeding.

Judge Daniel Crane arraigned both men on Thursday in Lowell District Court. Diaz Romero was held on $2,500 bail and Guerrero Peguero was held on $1,500 bail. They will return to court for a pre-trial hearing on November 27.

According to a police report, Diaz Romero had an outstanding federal warrant from the U.S. Marshals Service in Concord, New Hampshire, because he was wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A federal arrest has been issued for Diaz Romero.

Diaz Romero’s attorney, Peter Garrigan, was unavailable for comment, and Guerrero Peguero’s attorney, Daniel Murphy, declined to discuss the case.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis