Delaware Police Arrest Serial Shoplifter Who Stole Nearly $4,000 of Nike Shoes
Delaware law enforcement cracked down on a serial Nike shoplifter last week.
Delaware State Police charged 22-year-old Maicol Matias-Peña of Bridgeton, N.J. with felony shoplifting and organized retail crime after he was arrested for stealing from a Nike Factory Store in Rehoboth Beach twice in a matter of weeks.
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Police first responded to the store on May 31 when employees reported that suspects had stolen shoes. Law enforcement learned that two men had concealed 28 pairs of shoes in two shopping bags and left the store without paying. The suspects returned to the Nike outlet store on June 29 and stole nine more pairs of sneakers for a total of nearly $4,000 in illicit merchandise.
Store surveillance video identified Matias-Peña as one of the suspects. New Jersey State Police took him into custody on July 15 before he was extradited to Delaware and charged on July 27. Matias-Peña was released on a $2,000 unsecured bond while he awaits trial.
An officer with New Jersey’s Wayne Police Department last month conducted a suspicious vehicle traffic stop that led to the recovery of more than $5,000 in stolen merchandise from the Express, Forever 21, Gap, H&M, Hollister, Old Navy, Pacsun, and Zara stores at the Willowbrook Mall.
The four suspects were charged with receiving stolen property and possession of an anti-shoplifting device countermeasure, according to Wayne PD.
Pennsylvania State Police reported two recent shoplifting incidents involving the same Lululemon store in Glen Mills. Three suspects on June 17 who stole roughly $4,480 worth of apparel assaulted and threatened to shoot a security guard before fleeing. On Monday, five suspects stole men’s clothing valued around $3,000 before fleeing the Lululemon store in a gray Toyota sedan.
Additional reporting by Jessica Binns.
