On Sept. 19, a FedEx driver reported items were stolen from his truck while making a delivery to the Apple store at The Greene in Beavercreek.
The driver was using an entrance that connects to the store through a back hallway when the thefts occurred. He noticed a black SUV pulled behind him when he was exiting the truck and saw two men looking into the open hood of the SUV, according to an affidavit.
After he delivered the first pallet he realized the SUV was gone. While delivering the second pallet, a man with a hard hat and reflective vest stopped him in the hallway and reportedly tried to asked the driver a question. The driver couldn’t understand the man and said he could help the man after he finished the job, according to court records.
When the driver got into the back of the truck for a third pallet, he noticed one of the pallets had been torn open and some of the product was on floor. The driver checked the lock on the door and realized it had been cut, according to court documents.
The driver called police and made the rest of the delivery so the store could check inventory and determine what was stolen.
The driver estimated the he was away from the truck for about five minutes between the second and third delivery.
A few days later, Apple sent an itemized list of the stolen items, including 336 Apple watches worth $157,200.
Investigators also obtained video surveillance from the delivery truck. The footage reportedly showed the black SUV the driver noticed, with three men, including one in a hard hat and reflective vest, get out of the vehicle.
One of the men drove away in the black SUV after the Fed Ex worker delivered the first pallet and then a white Chrysler Pacifica pulled up behind the FedEx truck, according to court records.
Two men got out of the Pacifica while the driver stayed inside. One of the men reportedly had a pair of bolt cutters and cut the lock to the FedEx truck. The two men then went inside the truck and began to unload the packages.
The pair got back into the Pacifica, which drove away. The man in the hard hat was shown walking away from the hallway entrance and going down the street.
On Friday, police were surveilling delivery vehicles near the Mall at Fairfield Commons when a detective noticed a white Pacifica with a license plate tag that matched the suspect vehicle.
The detective followed the Pacifica behind the mall. The detective then spoke to two men inside the vehicle while a second detective located a black SUV with two other men. The driver of the SUV was reportedly wearing a reflective vest.
Detectives detained the four men. All of them were wearing earpieces connected to their cellphones, according to court records. They also were reportedly wearing similar items as the four suspects in the Apple theft.
All four are being held in the Greene County Jail. Their bonds were set at $20,000.
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