A man suspected of stealing ATVs and motorcycles from unsuspecting Craigslist sellers in Indian Orchard has turned himself in to police.
Joseph Velez turned himself in following numerous tips, many of them generated when his mugshot was displayed on the department’s Facebook page last week, Sgt. John Delaney said.
Velez — described by Delaney as one of the department’s “most wanted” — is also a suspect in numerous vehicle break-ins in Indian Orchard.
Velez would contact sellers of ATVs and motorcycles and set up meetings in parking lots around the Indian Orchard area, Delaney said. He would ask to take the vehicle for a “test ride” and he would never return.
Delaney, on Facebook, said the suspect’s “picture was everywhere in the media. The Major Crime Unit received numerous tips on Velez and the Indian Orchard-Sector ‘D’ neighborhood council had plastered his picture all over the Indian Orchard businesses and homes. Mr. Velez felt the pressure and turned himself in.”
Delaney, public information officer for the department, said the Indian Orchard area has not had a single vehicle break-in since Velez turned himself in on Monday.
Velez, 18, whose last known address was 13 Cedar St., was arrested on a warrant that included three counts of larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny over $250. The case remains under investigation and additional charges likely will be filed.
