Package Thief Caught On Porch After Wayne Police Stakeout; 2 Charged

WAYNE, NJ — A man looking to snatch a package from a Wayne Township resident's porch on Friday found a detective at the door, instead.

Police said two Newark men face multiple charges, in connection with that attempted theft and a previous stolen package at the same Laurel Drive address.

The resident called police on Friday, July 12 and said he was waiting on FedEx to deliver him several cell phones, said Detective Captain Dan Daly in a news release. The man said that several weeks earlier, a similar package had been stolen from his porch "as soon as it was delivered."

Around the time of the theft, the resident said he saw multiple vehicles "slowly passing his house as the delivery time approached," and noticed young men in the vehicles that he did not recognize.

Police then set up surveillance in the area, stationing officers nearby and positioning a detective in an unmarked vehicle to watch for the delivery driver and any potential thieves. A Detective Lieutenant was also waiting inside the home.

Daly said a FedEx driver delivered two packages to the front door of the resident, and an unknown vehicle stopped "within minutes."

A man then got out of the vehicle and approached the porch, and the detective stepped out and arrested him. Several other officers moved in, and were also able to detain the vehicle driver — though he tried to slip out of his handcuffs, Daly added.

Police said the driver's cell phone had a navigational app open with directions to the target address, and police also found a boxed package with a shipping label in the back seat which had been stolen from another Wayne home the previous day.

Officers also observed a zipped-up bag between the driver's seat and the door, which had a loaded .380 Ruger handgun inside.

Wayne Police arrested 23-year-old Steven Ariel Fong and 20-year-old Waldy Perez-Rivas, charging them with attempted theft, conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen property, and weapons charges. Perez-Rivas was also charged with obstructing a governmental function, police said.