Delaware State Police

Superintendent Colonel Melissa Zebley

Troopers Arrest Man for Multiple Burglaries on Philadelphia Pike

Date Posted: Monday, May 27th, 2024

News Release

Delaware State Police arrested 43-year-old Alexis Martinez of Wilmington, Delaware, for multiple burglaries that occurred over the last several months at locations on Philadelphia Pike in Wilmington.

On May 26, 2024, at approximately 1:53 p.m., troopers responded to the Penny Hill Repair and Service Center located at 517 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, for a report of an unknown Hispanic male that trespassed on the property and broke into a vehicle in the parking lot. Upon arriving, troopers learned the suspect had fled on foot from the property after he was confronted by the auto shop’s owner. A short time later, troopers were dispatched to Saint Helena Roman Catholic Church located at 602 Philadelphia Pike, for a report of an unknown Hispanic male that had unlawfully entered the church and was stealing within. A trooper responding to the church observed a man matching the suspect’s description walking on Philadelphia Pike just south of the church. The trooper made contact with the suspect, identified as Alexis Martinez, and noticed his clothing matched the suspect’s clothing in multiple recent burglaries of the White Glove Car Wash located at 201 Philadelphia Pike.

Martinez was taken into custody without incident and transported to Troop 2, where detectives identified him as the suspect responsible for 8 burglaries that occurred between December 6, 2023, and May 26, 2024, at the following Philadelphia Pike locations: White Glove Car Wash, Saint Helena Roman Catholic Church, and Penny Hill Repair and Service Center. Martinez was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11, and committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $14,251 secured bond.