Philadelphia copper thieves target Germantown construction site, electric vehicle charging stations

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia police are searching for a man who allegedly stole hundreds of dollars worth of precious metals from a construction site in Germantown.

The incident occurred May 14 at 5:56 a.m. in the 5600 block of Germantown Avenue. A security video released by police shows a man walking around the site. He was later seen pulling the cover off a wooden door and storming into the site. The man emerges with black bags filled with what police said were copper wires.

Police described the man as wearing a blue jacket with tan sleeves, a black hooded jacket with a hood over his head, a blue T-shirt, and gray sweatpants with the word “NOPE” written in white letters. He was also said to be wearing black sneakers and black work gloves.

Colin Farrell, the site supervisor, said the suspect stripped the temporary wires that provide electricity to the building where he and his crew work for Covenant House. It is a non-profit organization that provides housing and resources to homeless youth.

“It’s really unfortunate that they’re stealing for a very good reason,” Farrell said.

In total, the suspect got away with about $700 worth of precious metals. It also delayed work at the Germantown site by a few days.

Farrell said burglary was unfortunately a problem at most construction sites.

“In construction, everyone sees it and puts their eyes on it and wants to come in and steal because there’s a lot of opportunity with it not being completely finished to take the pipes and wires really easily,” Farrell told Action News.

The price of copper is up about 30% year to date. Scrap metal stores told Action News that copper today can sell for up to $4.15 a pound.

Thieves looking to take advantage have even begun targeting electric vehicle charging stations, cutting the wires and stealing the copper inside. Four Electrify America charging stations located at 7126 Ridge Avenue were recently vandalized.

“Due to vandalism, the Electrify America chargers at 7162 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia will remain unavailable,” the company told Action News in a statement. “We are working with local law enforcement regarding the source of the property damage. The negative impact on electric vehicle drivers is unfortunate.” We hope the matter will be resolved quickly, and we will provide an update in the Electrify America app when chargers become available.

William Goldman, who said he uses charging stations to charge his car every two days, said the act was heinous.

“It makes it difficult for people who live in the area and want to charge their car,” Goldman said.

Kevin DeJoinville said he’s concerned that fewer charging stations could lead to longer wait times.

“It’s bad enough, I’ve had to wait hours sometimes for a charge and now my replacement place is bombed by all four of them,” DeJoinville said.

If you have any information about these incidents, police ask that you contact the Northwest Detective Division at 215-686-3353.