Armed robbers have stolen vehicles from multiple car rental agencies at Philadelphia International Airport over the span of several months, police said.
In all, there have been approximately 35 thefts and five armed robberies at car rental agencies along 1 Arrival Road at the airport, including Avis, Budget, National, Alamo and Hertz, investigators revealed on Thursday.
The investigation began in January, according to police.
Several vehicles are stored at car rental agencies for customers arriving at Philadelphia International Airport. Rental companies left keys in the rental cars on their lots due to the large inventory. Some of the lots are protected by fencing while others are protected by gates, barriers and spiked tire treadles, police said.
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On multiple occasions, thieves arrived at the airport car rental agencies in groups and stole cars from the lots after gaining access. After the rental companies improved their security, the thieves became more brazen in their actions, police said. The suspects began stealing the cars from the rental companies at gunpoint and exiting through the booth at the front gate, according to investigators.
In surveillance video released by police, robbers went into three to four cars and lined them up before getting to the booth of one of the rental agencies. The driver of the first car then approached the booth and pointed a gun at the attendant to force them to open the gate. All the cars then drove out once the gate opened.
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Special Investigations Commissioner Frank Vanore told a news conference Friday that they are not sure how many people are behind the robberies, but they are seeing a pattern.
The suspects appear to be teens or young men between the ages of 17 and 23, according to investigators. Police said they often wore dark clothing, hooded sweatshirts and masks during the robberies.
According to a news conference Friday the total incident count of the armed robbers is:
- 35 cases of theft
- 5 incidents involving firearms
- 12 of the 35 were attempted robberies (they hit the gate or their tires exploded)
- 17 vehicles were recovered by authorities southeast of Philadelphia
- There have been three arrests of adult men aged 48 and two that are approximately 20
Police continue to investigate. If you have any information on the robberies, please call the Philadelphia Police Department's Major Crimes Unit at 215-685-9130 or call/text the Philadelphia Police tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477). Tips can be left anonymously.
