Newark police are asking the public to help identify a man caught on surveillance video stealing an electric lawn mower off a front porch on the 100 block of Isabella Avenue. The theft happened last Friday around 12:19 p.m., after Amazon dropped the mower at the residence, according to Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, Sr.
Miranda released details of the theft as reported by Newport Dispatch, describing the suspect as a Black male wearing glasses, a white tank top, dark green pants and white sneakers. He was also seen carrying a black backpack with teal blue trim, and the footage shows him taking the mower directly from the home's front porch.
Miranda is urging anyone with information on the suspect's identity to come forward. Residents can call the Newark Police Division's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477), a hotline that accepts anonymous reports by phone or online and can lead to a monetary reward if a tip results in an arrest.
Same Block Saw Another Theft Just Months Ago
This isn't the first time investigators have turned to the public for help identifying a suspect on that same stretch of Isabella Avenue. In April, Newark police requested assistance identifying a person caught on video taking a wallet from a parked car on the same block, according to RLS Media. The two incidents involved daytime thefts captured on local surveillance cameras.
Miranda took over as Newark's public safety director in November 2024 after Mayor Ras J. Baraka appointed him following a 23-year career with the Newark Police Division, according to Daily Voice. He had commanded the department's Robbery Unit and served as Chief of Police starting in 2022, and now oversees more than 1,000 sworn officers.
Porch Piracy Carries Felony Weight Under State Law
Whoever stole the mower faces more than a misdemeanor if identified and charged. New Jersey law has treated the theft of a delivered package from a residential property as a third-degree felony statewide since January 2022, regardless of the item's dollar value, exposing offenders to three to five years in prison and fines up to $15,000, per New Jersey 101.5. Before that law took effect, package thefts involving packages valued at less than $500 were generally treated as misdemeanors.
State lawmakers are pushing to go even further. During the current legislative session, legislators introduced Assembly Bill A2111, which would create a dedicated offense of residential package theft and allow court fines up to $250,000 or five times the retail value of stolen goods, according to the bill text posted by the New Jersey Legislature. The proposal also seeks to establish a dedicated Porch Theft Task Force.
Newark's Broader Crime Numbers Are Trending Down
The mower theft comes as Newark posts some of its best public safety numbers in decades. The city reported an overall 19% reduction in crime in 2025, along with a 38% drop in robberies and a 14% decline in aggravated assaults, per News 12 New Jersey. Newark also recorded 31 homicides in 2025, its lowest annual total since 1953, alongside a 38% drop in robberies, with city leadership crediting intelligence-led policing and community violence intervention partnerships.
Package theft remains a concern beyond Newark despite those local gains. The incident involved a lawn mower box left exposed on an Isabella Avenue porch.
Newark's public safety office issued a second, unrelated appeal the same day, asking for help identifying a suspect in a $2,500 e-bike theft on Court Street, according to the Newark Department of Public Safety. The department also asked for the public's help this week in a Central Avenue cellphone robbery case, reflecting how heavily investigators are leaning on community tips and surveillance footage to crack open several open theft cases at once.
