Jefferson Hills, PA (PPP)— An 18-year-old man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges following a string of thefts in the Jefferson Hills area.

Jaimar Coleman was arrested on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, after police officers from the North Versailles Police Department stopped and arrested him for a drug and a vehicle code violation. Detectives from the Jefferson Hills Police Department went to the North Versailles Police Department to interview Coleman, recognizing him immediately as one of the suspects from earlier in the day, according to the criminal complaint against Coleman.

Between 6 am and 5 pm on March 7, 2023, the Jefferson Hills Police Department responded to theft reports from approximately ten residences near Old Clairton Road, which included thefts from motor vehicles and two stolen vehicles. Video footage provided to the Jefferson Hills Police Department by victims and surveillance footage obtained from the area led the detectives to observe a light-colored sedan followed by three males wearing black hoodies, black pants, gloves, and face masks stealing items from parked vehicles, says the criminal complaint.

Coleman initially denied any involvement in the thefts but later admitted to driving two friends around the area on the morning of the thefts. He confessed to stealing the Ford Raptor and dropping the others off at locations he couldn’t recall but knew were close to schools in the vicinity. GPS data from Coleman’s cell phone showed that it was in the area where the thefts took place, and he was connected to the stolen Ford Raptor via Bluetooth. Pictures and videos on Coleman’s phone also showed him inside the stolen vehicle, says the complaint.

Name: Jaimar Coleman
Gender: Male
Age: 18

Agency: Jefferson Hills Police Department

Court: Magisterial District Court 05-2-16
Docket Number: MJ-05216-CR-0000107-2023
Date Filed: March 28, 2023

Bail: $20,000 monetary
Confinement: Allegheny County Jail
Confinement Reason: Unable to post bail. Note: bail was posted on March 31 by Liberty Bail Bonds.

Criminal Charges

1. Theft by unlawful taking (Felony 2)
2. Theft by unlawful taking (Felony 3)
3. Theft by unlawful taking (Felony 3)
4. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 1)
5. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 1)
6. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 1)
7. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 1)
8. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 3)
9. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 3)
10. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 3)
11. Theft from a motor vehicle (Misdemeanor 3)
12. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
13. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
14. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
15. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
16. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
17. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
18. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
19. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
20. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)
21. Loitering and prowling at nighttime (Misdemeanor 3)

Affidavit of Probable Cause
Your affiant, Detective Stawowczyk, is employed by the Borough of Jefferson Hills as a police officer and was in that capacity in plain clothes on the time and date of this incident.

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023 from approximately 0600-1700 hours the Jefferson Hills Police Department responded to and took reports from approximately ten residences for theft from motor vehicles. All of these residences are located in neighborhoods near Old Clairton Road and are within walking distance from each other, to include Stettler Drive, Redcliffe Drive, Majestic Drive, Town Hall Entrance, Stevens Ridge Drive, and Shellbark Street. Items stolen from the vehicles include a Taurus PT740 .40cal handgun, three vehicle key fobs, an Apple iPad and approximately $54 in US currency. In addition to thefts from vehicles, two vehicles were stolen: a black 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor (PA registration █████) and a gray 2016 Dodge Charger (FL registration █████). Both vehicles were later recovered.

Using video footage provided to the JHPD by victims as well as surveillance footage obtained from the area, I, Detective Stawowczyk, along with Detective Costanza, were able to observe a light-colored sedan enter Redcliffe Drive at approximately 0126 hours on 3/7/2023. At approximately 0152 hours, three males wearing black hoodies, black pants, gloves, and face masks are seen on video surveillance on Stettler Drive entering two parked vehicles in a driveway. At 0256 hours, the three individuals are seen on video surveillance at Majestic Drive entering three unlocked vehicles in the driveway. One individual’s hoodie depicted a red, yellow, green and blue print on the front. Another hoodie depicted a white design on the back and sleeves. The other hoodie appeared to be completely black.

At approximately 0355 hours, video footage from the area depicted a gray colored sedan and a black truck following each other north on Old Clairton Road and turn onto Redcliffe Drive. Approximately four minutes later at 0359 hours, the light-colored sedan, the gray-colored sedan, and the black truck follow each other out of Redcliffe Drive and drive north on Old Clairton Road. Following the likely traveled route of the vehicles, we located all three vehicles following each other on State Route 51 at Coal Valley Road cameras and obtained the registration plates.

We determined that light colored sedan was a light gold/silver Nissan Altima bearing PA registration █████, the gray-colored sedan was a gray Dodge Charger bearing FL registration █████, and the black truck was a black Ford F-150 Raptor bearing PA registration █████.

Detective Costanza sent an email to other police departments regarding the Nissan being the suspect vehicle in the thefts and requested that they use caution if locating the vehicle based upon a firearm being stolen. North Versailles Police Department later contacted Defective Costanza at 1845 hours on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 and informed him that they had stopped and arrested the sole occupant of the Nissan for a drug and a vehicle code violation and currently had the occupant in custody at their police station.

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at approximately 1853 hours, Detective Costanza and I responded to the North Versailles Police Department to interview the driver of the Nissan. Before speaking with the driver, identified as Jaimar Coleman, we immediately recognized the hoodie he was wearing as the same hoodie with the red, yellow, green and blue print on the front that was captured in video footage from the thefts earlier in the day.

We spoke to Coleman in the North Versailles Police Department holding area. As we walked into the room to introduce ourselves, Coleman immediately stated, “I’m under arrest, huh?” After we told him that he was, Coleman stated, “Was it the stolen whip?” Before answering Coleman’s question, we told him that we needed to read him his Miranda Warnings prior to asking him any questions. We read Coleman his Miranda Warnings and he agreed to speak to us.

Initially, Coleman said he was not driving the vehicle on the morning of the thefts, but later admitted that he dropped two friends off this morning but did not know where, but said he remembered driving past a school. It is noted that both Thomas Jefferson High School and Jefferson Intermediate School are located in the vicinity of the thefts. After we told Coleman we knew he was still wearing the same hoodie that he was wearing during the thefts he began to provide specific information about the thefts. We asked Coleman if he knew the location of the stolen vehicles and he said that, “There’s one I’m pretty sure in McKeesport, I know that’s where they sometimes park them.” We asked Coleman if both vehicles would be in McKeesport and he said, “Most likely not.” Coleman initially said that when he got home in the morning that, “They told me what cars last night,” referring to the type of vehicles that were stolen. We asked him what type of cars they were, and he said, “Raptor and a Dodge.” It is noted that we had never provided Coleman with the specific type of vehicles that were stolen and only referred to them prior to this as a truck and a car.

Later in the interview, Coleman admitted that he got into the Ford when it was stolen. We commented on the amount of marijuana blunt guts that were spilled all over the passenger side of the Ford and Coleman said, “That was the other person, that’s nasty.”

We told Coleman that he was going to get in trouble for the thefts because we know that he was involved in the crimes. When we said this, Coleman nodded his head in confirmation. Coleman told us that he would try to get the vehicle key fobs returned but that he probably could not recover the firearm.

Coleman later told us that the theft of the Raptor was posted to a SnapChat story. He said he knew that SnapChat stories are gone in 24 hours and asked if it had been 24 hours since the thefts. We told him not yet and he said, “I still got time.”

Following the interview, I seized Coleman’s cell phone and later authored a search warrant for it which was approved by Magisterial District Judge Thatcher. Upon viewing the data extraction from Coleman’s cell phone, I obtained the following information:

1. On March 7, 2023 at approximately 0125-0359 hours, GPS data shows Coleman’s cell phone in the area between Thomas Jefferson High School and Shellbark Street, with the earlier times beginning around the high school and later times around Shellbark Street.

2. Coleman’s cell phone connected to a Ford Raptor via Bluetooth address 28:38:5c:16:57:00. During the processing of the stolen Ford, I took a picture of the infotainment system’s various addresses, and the Bluetooth address shown in the infotainment system is 28:38:5c:16:57:00.

3. On March 7, 2023 at approximately 0050 hours, GPS data shows Coleman’s cell phone in the area where the stolen Raptor was later recovered.

4. Pictures and videos depict Coleman inside of the stolen Ford Raptor.

With the above information being correct and true to the best of my knowledge, I respectfully request that a warrant be issued for Jaimar Coleman so that he can answer for the aforementioned charges.