Police activity Credit: Geralt / Pixabay.com
Police have charged Julian Cruz, 19, of the 1700 block of Fillmore Street in Philadelphia, in connection with multiple copper wire thefts from the Carr and Duff electrical contractor facility located at 2100 Byberry Road.
According to police, the thefts took place in late October and early November, and involved cutting through the facility’s perimeter fence and stealing large spools of copper wire, each weighing several hundred pounds.
The most recent incident occurred in the early hours of Nov. 5, 2025, when Carr and Duff employees discovered a hole cut in the barbed-wire fence surrounding the property. Surveillance video captured Cruz and two accomplices removing spooled wire and transporting it across nearby CSX train tracks to Masons Mill Park. This marked the third theft at the facility in just 10 days, following two similar incidents in late October.
Investigators traced a U-Haul van used in the Oct. 31 theft to Cruz, who had rented the vehicle using his Pennsylvania driver’s license. Surveillance showed Cruz and his co-conspirators loading copper wire and attempting to transport it from the facility, with the U-Haul becoming stuck at Masons Mill Park. Cruz later admitted to police that he helped load the stolen wire into the van, intending to “scrap” it for money, and that he expected to be paid $300–$400 for his role.
During the Nov. 7 investigation, police recovered a jacket Cruz had worn during the theft, further confirming his involvement. Carr and Duff staff, who monitor the facility with surveillance cameras, reported that the spools of copper wire are valued at over $1,000 each, and that Cruz and his accomplices also took tools from work trucks valued at over $200.
Cruz is facing charges related to trespass, theft, and conspiracy.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Thomas P. Murt.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
