LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster couple is facing multiple charges of theft and conspiracy after the investigation of a series of vehicle break-ins dating back to the spring, State Police say.
Manuel Noel Negron, 26, of the 800 block of Prangley Ave., and Selena Marie Vazquez, 25, of the 700 block of Manor Street, are charged with multiple counts of criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy, theft from a motor vehicle, and other related offenses, according to police.
They are accused of breaking into more than 20 vehicles that were parked at Lock 12 adjacent to the Norman Wood Bridge on Holtwood Road in York County over a six-month span beginning in late May, police say.
They allegedly stole cash, bank cards, credit cards, social security cards, insurance cards, and items ranging from cosmetics, jewelry, pocket knives, tools, fishing rods, clothing, firearms, cell phones, and cigarettes from the vehicles, police say. They allegedly used large rocks to smash the vehicles' windows to get inside, according to police.
Police were able to identify Negron and Vazquez as suspects after some of the victims reported fraudulent charges on bank and credit cards that were taken from their vehicles, police say.
One victim said that shortly after her vehicle was broken into, a fraudulent charge showed up on her bank card for a $60.25 purchase from Metro Express on the 1200 block on Wabank Road in Lancaster. Police contacted the restaurant and recovered the phone number used to place the takeout order, which was later traced to a cell phone belonging to Negron, according to the complaint.
Another victim reported similar fraudulent charges on a bank card that was stolen on Nov. 8. The card was later used to make $557 in purchases from Mangat Mini-Mart in Lancaster, according to police. Investigators accessed surveillance video from the store that showed a Hispanic couple making the purchases.
On Nov. 10, a State Police trooper on patrol near Lock 12 observed a white Chevy Cobalt sedan with two occupants pull into the Lock 12 parking lot. After noting the operator was acting suspiciously, the trooper ran the vehicle's registration and found it was owned by Negron. The trooper observed the vehicle leave the parking lot shortly after arriving. It crossed the Norman Wood Bridge into Lancaster County, police say.
Police later used a Facebook search to determine Negron had a profile under the name "CJ Milliano." The takeout order at Metro was under the name "CJ," according to police.
Through Facebook, police determined that Negron and Vazquez were in a relationship, according to the complaint.
They used dashboard camera footage from one of the victim's vehicles to determine Negron and Vazquez matched the physical description of two suspects seen at one of the break-ins, the complaint states. They also matched the suspects seen making fraudulent purchases on surveillance video from Mangat Mini-Mart, police say.
Police also traced other fraudulent purchases made at House of Pizza, Queen 6 Pack, Sabenita Market, Metro Express, Huber's West End Market, Latin America Grocery, and multiple Turkey Hill stores in Lancaster to Negron and Vazquez, according to the complaint.
The couple is accused of causing approximately $3,800 worth of vehicle damage, stealing more than $2,000 worth of items, and making $2,519.99 in fraudulent purchases over a six-month span from May 23 through Nov. 26, according to police.
