Two Brooklyn men were charged for stealing more than $3,000 worth of iPhones from three Queens cell phone stores in less than four hours last month.
According to District Attorney Richard A. Brown, the burglaries may be part of a pattern 15 incidents at 14 different locations across the borough.
Joshua Ellerbe, 28, and Devine Ingram, 22, were charged with third-degree burglary, third-, fourth- and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, fourth-degree grand larceny and petit larceny.
On Nov. 28 at approximately 2 p.m., Ellerbe and two other men walked into a cell phone store at 37-50 74th St. in Jackson Heights. Two men jumped over the counter and took an iPhone X worth $1,400 and all three fled the location, according to Brown.
Approximately one hour later, Ellerbe and two other men walked into a T-Mobile at 86-16 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst and stole an iPhone 8 Plus worth $930 before fleeing in a white Nissan.
Then, at 4:15 p.m. the three men entered a T-Mobile at 95-02 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven and stole a phone worth $800. Ellerbe was seen wearing a brown UPS hat.
At 7:30 p.m. that night, police saw Ingram reach into the white Nissan used in the burglaries parked on Farragut Road in Brooklyn. A brown UPS hat was spotted in the back seat.
Ingram was also arraigned on a second criminal complaint for allegedly burglarizing a cell phone store at 98-05 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven on Oct. 29 at about 8:10 p.m. According to the complaint, a man walked into the store and asked questions about a phone.
He was charged for this incident with fourth-degree grand larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Prosecutors said the man left and shortly re-entered the store and asked more questions. At this point, Ingram also walked into the store and started a conversation with the employee. When Ingram left the store he held the front door open with his foot and the unidentified man stole two cell phones and ran out of the store with Ingram. The phones were worth more than $1,000.
Ellerbe was arraigned on a second criminal complaint of entering the same store at 98-05 Jamaica Ave. with another man on Nov. 16 at about 8:06 p.m. Ellerbe left the store and re-entered with two men, one of whom was caught on video trying to break a glass display case. The man tried swinging a weighted bag while the other man attempted to open the showcase’s sliding door from the rear and kicked the glass showcase several times.
Ellerbe was also caught on camera attempting to open the display case by reaching across the counter and attempting to open the case’s sliding door from the rear.
He was charged in this criminal complaint with first-degree attempted burglary, first- and second-degree attempted robbery, third-degree burglary, third-degree attempted grand larceny, fourth-degree criminal mischief and attempted petit larceny.
Bail for both suspects was set at $100,000 bond/$50,000 cash and their next court date is set for Dec. 12. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
