Police in Horsham Township arrested a man accused of stealing more than $1,200 worth of energy drinks from a local convenience store after investigators connected the incidents to a similar case in a neighboring township, according to court documents.
Jose Diaz, 56, of the 3900 block of N. 6th Street in Philadelphia, is facing a felony charge related to retail theft stemming from the incident.
According to the Horsham Township Police Department, officers were dispatched around 12:45 p.m. on March 5 to the Wawa located at 132 Welsh Road for a delayed report of retail theft.
The store general manager told police that the same man was responsible for two separate thefts of cases of Red Bull from the store.
Police said the first incident occurred on March 1 around 4:25 p.m., when a man entered a restricted refrigeration area intended for employees and removed approximately five cases of Red Bull. The suspect then carried the cases to a vehicle and left the property without paying.
A second theft happened on March 5 around 11:55 a.m., when the same man allegedly returned and took about eight additional cases using the same method. Store officials estimated the total loss at $1,253.43.
Security footage showed the suspect as a shorter, light-skinned Black male with salt-and-pepper hair, believed to be between 40 and 50 years old, driving an older silver Honda CR‑V. Investigators were unable to obtain a license plate from the footage.
Using traffic-camera data and records in the regional law enforcement database, police identified a similar vehicle that had been stopped previously by the Montgomery Township Police Department. The driver in that case was identified as Diaz, who had also been arrested in connection with a similar retail theft at another Wawa on Feb. 25.
Officers from both departments coordinated and located Diaz at the Knights Inn Montgomeryville, where a silver Honda CR-V matching the suspect vehicle was parked outside Room 149.
Police made contact with Diaz and took him into custody at about 4:01 p.m. on March 5. During a search incident to arrest, officers reported finding eight purple vials containing suspected narcotics in Diaz’s pocket. Police said Diaz admitted the substance was crack cocaine.
Authorities said Diaz now faces charges related to retail theft and narcotics possession. The case will proceed through the Montgomery County court system.
