14 arrested in Long Island porch pirate ring that allegedly sold stolen goods worldwide, authorities say
A massive porch pirate ring has been busted on Long Island.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says 14 men face charges for allegedly targeting 31 communities over two years, including Brentwood, Central Islip, Shirley and Deer Park. Investigators said they tracked the suspects from October 2023 to February of this year, when they say the ring was infiltrated and broken.
The suspects allegedly hacked computer systems to find out when phones and electronics would be delivered to the homes of Verizon and AT&T customers, then sent runners to steal them. The DA said the defendants had customers' names, addresses, device types and FedEx shipment tracking numbers.
"They were gaining access to the tracking numbers as well as the deliveries, and through that they could tell which would be an electronic device from AT&T and Verizon," Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said.
More than 200 cellphones and tablets were stolen as part of the ring, authorities say.
"It could have been violent"
The 14 suspects are mostly from the Bronx. Tierney said stolen goods were taken to a fencing location on University Avenue in the borough, and then to a stash house on Quimby Avenue. The suspects took videos of hundreds of boxed and bagged phones and then allegedly sold them in multiple locations across the globe.
In November of this year, Glenn Bernhard was a porch pirate victim. Law enforcement is still determining if his family is among the dozens of victims whose deliveries were tracked and stolen.
"It could have been violent. He grabbed the package out of my hand, and took off. He ran into a car. The plate on the car was stolen," Glenn Bernhard said. "It's a well organized bunch of people to hack into everybody's computer."
"The hacker was able to get into my account," Erica Bernhard said.
Tips to stop porch pirates
Adam Schwan of Sandwire says AI technology can help thwart pirates in coordination with home security systems.
"Mimics human beings, watches the cameras, and tells them to leave when they shouldn't be there," Schwam said.
If you're expecting a package, be vigilant.
"With porch pirates, modern, current day pirates, you have to track your own packages," Schwam said.
You can track them in real time and be there to retrieve them.
Suffolk County authorities say they are working with the NYPD and federal agents, and that additional porch pirates will be arrested.
The 14 defendants face 50 felony charges. Authorities said several of the incidents involved violence or deception. In one incident, a FedEx driver was shoved to the ground.