The incident happened May 14 at 5:56 a.m. on the 5600 block of Germantown Avenue. Security video released by police shows a man walking around the site. He's later seen pulling back a wood door covering and breaking into the site. The man exits with black bags full of what police said was copper wiring.
Colin Farrell, the site superintendent, said the suspect stripped temporary wiring that provided electricity to a building he and his crew are working on for Covenant House. It's a nonprofit that provides housing and resources for homeless youth.In total, the suspect got away with about $700 worth of precious metals. It also delayed work on the Germantown site for a couple of days.
Thieves looking to capitalize have even started targeting electric vehicle charging stations, cutting the cords and stealing copper inside. Four Electrify America charging stations located at 7126 Ridge Avenue were recently vandalized. William Goldman, who said he uses the charging stations to charge his vehicle every couple of days, said the act was outrageous.Kevin Dejoinville said he was concerned that fewer charging stations would result in longer wait times.