U.S. Marshals nab suspected porch pirate accused of hitting officer with car

Ebony Gomez, a 31-year-old resident of Jacksonville, Florida, has been apprehended by the U.S. Marshals in connection with a string of package thefts and a hit-and-run incident that left a Gloucester Township Police officer injured.

Gomez faces a litany of charges, including multiple counts of eluding, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault against law enforcement, and theft of movable property.

The arrest comes after a series of porch thefts in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, where packages were stolen from the front porches of various residences on December 1 and twice on December 2.

According to investigators, surveillance videos captured a white Dodge Journey, driven by Gomez, approaching homes with delivered packages. Gomez would allegedly take the packages and flee the scene.

When confronted by a resident, she reportedly claimed to be a delivery driver who had made a mistake and continued stealing packages.

On December 8, police located Gomez driving with unrestrained children in her vehicle. However, she evaded a motor vehicle stop, leading to a pursuit.

During the chase, she struck and injured a Gloucester Township Police officer but managed to flee again. She was eventually captured on December 11 in Monroe Township, New Jersey.

Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins revealed that the department has been combatting porch piracy by planting “bait packages” equipped with GPS trackers.

The measure aims to catch so-called “porch pirates” in the act and serves as a warning to potential thieves.

Gomez was implicated in stealing packages from the Cherrywood development on December 1 and the Mayfair Woods development on December 2.

In one incident, she allegedly posed as a UPS worker, claiming she accidentally delivered the package to the wrong address when confronted by a resident.

During the arrest, Gomez was driving a white Dodge Journey with a stolen license plate.

The vehicle had unrestrained children in the back when she fled a traffic stop, ultimately resulting in the injury of a police officer.

The officer was taken to Cooper Hospital in Camden, where they are reported to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Gomez now faces serious charges, including second-degree eluding, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, and theft.

The Gloucester Township Police Department expressed gratitude to residents for providing tips and information that aided in the arrest.

They also reminded residents to retrieve packages promptly and encouraged the registration of doorbell cameras or CCTV cameras with the police department for enhanced community security.