Ormond Beach Police Catch Serial Car Burglar

Ormond Beach, FL - Police say that, if anything, this is why you should follow your 9 p.m. routine.

Earlier today (May 31st), the Ormond Beach Police Department announced the arrest of 37-year-old Jeremy Ryan McDade, a Jacksonville native, who allegedly stole from cars at five different neighborhoods on three separate days.

Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey says that OBPD launched an investigation after receiving multiple reports of car break-ins in a certain part of the city.

But, none of the cars were actually damaged in these incidents.

"This is the prime example of citizens not locking their vehicles before they go to bed at night," said Sergeant Tom Larsen, Investigative Sgt. of OBPD. "This is the damage that one person can do."

And that damage included seven firearms, multiple credit cards and gift cards, fishing equipment, computers and tools that were left in unlocked cars.

The most worrying part to police was the stolen weapons.

But, Larsen said this isn't exclusive to Ormond Beach, as some items have been traced to different areas on the I-95 corridor.

In fact, he says that this investigation concerns multiple agencies running from south Volusia County up to Jacksonville, including the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and multiple city police departments

Larsen said that, in Ormond's case, McDade would drive up to a subdivision and would either walk around or skateboard around the neighborhood

McDade would then prowl around the neighborhood in search of unlocked cars.

Surveillance footage from multiple home security cameras shows McDade running away from cars that he set the alarms off on. That footage also showed McDade using his shirt to prevent himself from leaving fingerprints on the vehicles.

After stealing items, police say that McDade would trade them off for narcotics, including fentanyl, according to Ormond Beach police.

McDade is also not from the area. Police say that he is considered transient, as he's either sleeping in his car, at motels/hotels, or sleeping at his girlfriend's house.

But for all of these break-ins, police knew he had to be staying close by.

"I knew he was from Jacksonville," said Detective Tom Garcia. "But these burglaries spanned the last eight or nine days, so we knew he was staying in the area."

OBPD got one step closer to McDade during the investigation, after a night-shift officer found his vehicle parked outside of the Chelsea Place subdivision one night.

Detective Garcia actually did most of the surveillance himself during the investigation and was the one who brought McDade into custody.

Garcia said that once McDade was in custody, he showed him multiple photos and video clips taken from the scenes. Once he saw the evidence, McDade supposedly confessed.

McDade is now sitting in Volusia County Jail where he's currently held on multiple charges with a bond set at $79,500.

That includes multiple burglary charges, petty theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. The fraud use charge came after police found out he used one of the stolen credit cards in Jacksonville.

Near the end of the press conference, Sgt. Larsen said that this is why Ormond Beach police stress the "9 p.m. Routine" on their Facebook page.

The 9 p.m. routine is not just a way for police to engage their residents, but it's also a reminder for residents to make sure that they remove valuables from their cars and lock their cars before going to bed for the night.

Often times, Ormond Beach police would ask a question, such as what everyone's favorite place for fine dining is, before reminding residents of the 9 p.m. routine.

Important Message from the Ormond Beach Police Department

The Ormond Beach Police Department wants residents to know that if they believe their stuff may have been some of the property stolen by McDade they should get in contact with OBPD immediately in order to recover it.

You can get in contact with Detective Garcia at (386) 676-3519