Porch pirate crew steals hundreds of phones, electronics across 30 LI towns — after ‘hacking’ deliveries
Long‑Island prosecutors say a highly organized crew of “porch pirates” used insider data to snag FedEx deliveries and swipe hundreds of expensive packages for almost two years.
According to a broad indictment, 14 people have been charged in a scheme that trailed cellphone shipments across the region from October 2023 to February 2025.
The thieves exploited confidential information—tracking numbers, recipient names, what the packages contained and when they were due—to plunder boxes of pricey electronics right as they landed on front porches.
Many of the stolen items came via FedEx from Verizon and AT&T, and prosecutors allege the thieves hacked into those delivery systems.
“We believe that information was hacked,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.
Afterward, the stolen goods were moved to a network of stash houses in the Bronx, inventoried, and off‑loaded to wholesalers both in the United States and overseas.
Tierney called the operation a “criminal enterprise built on the backs of Suffolk families and businesses” and vowed to pursue those who commit crimes against residents, no matter how large the operation.
Prosecutors point to Andricson Jerez, 29, as the mastermind, who allegedly directed his crew through encrypted messaging. Jerez’s father, 48‑year‑old Juan Baez, is said to have helped transport the phones and electronics to buyers.
The identity of the hacker who supplied the privileged intel remains unknown, but investigators believe it was a highly skilled individual who “requires a certain level of sophistication.”
More than 30 towns on Long Island were targeted, and the gang’s tactics sometimes turned violent. In one episode, Luger Guerrero, 26, shoved a FedEx driver and a crew absconded with 15 tablets.
Another incident saw Felipe Batista, 22, forcefully take a package from a homeowner. In at least one case, Leonel Tejeda Reynoso, 32, used a fake ID to pick up a tablet worth over $1,000 from a Melville FedEx center.
The defendants face 50 counts, including robbery, enterprise corruption, conspiracy and larceny. If convicted, Jerez could receive up to 25 years in prison.
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