Man charged in string of burglaries on Philadelphia Pike in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, DE - A 43-year-old man is facing several charges after police say he is accused of perpetrating multiple burglaries on Philadelphia Pike. 

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

On Sunday at around 1:53 p.m., troopers responded to the Penny Hill Repair and Service Center located at 517 Philadelphia Pike, for a report of an unknown man 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 man with matching descriptions to the previous incident, who had unlawfully entered the church and was stealing from 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. 

The burglaries occurred 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 eight counts of burglary 3rd degree, five counts of wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, three counts of possession of burglar tools, five counts of theft under $1,500, two counts of attempted theft under $1,500, five counts of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.

He was arraigned and sent to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $14,251 secured bond.