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A Riverdale man is asking for help finding the men who stole his wallet and then went on a shopping spree.
Police say they know of three victims, only because their credit cards were found, thrown out on a street in Syracuse. Those cards were used at several stores, and evidence of the crime was caught on tape.
Nathan Poulsen says, "In the 25 years of living there, never had one break-in." That is, until last week, the one time Poulsen happened to leave his wallet and $3,000 in cash in his truck.
He says, "Out in Syracuse, they found a couple of my ATM cards just laying in the street, and that's when police called me and asked if I am missing anything, and I didn't realize that it had happened."
He adds, "I know a lot of people say you don't leave money in there, and I understand that, but you work a 12-hour day, you're hot, you're tired, so you just lock your vehicle and keep it out of sight; and the one time you do that is when you get broken in."
And the thieves didn't waste any time. Surveillance video shows two men going on a shopping spree at the Syracuse Wal-Mart. They spent more than a thousand dollars on Poulsen's cards, buying laptops and video game consoles.
Poulsen says, "You're seeing them open your wallet on surveillance, swiping your cards, and the workers don't check ID."
Turns out, they may have used other people's credit cards too. Along with Poulsen's debit card, police found credit cards belonging to two other people, thrown out on the street. The thieves also hit a Wal-mart in Clinton, spending $800 there.
Lt. Tracy Jensen of the Syracuse Police Department says, "We're at a dead end at this point. We have nowhere to go. We have to know who these two people are or find the vehicle in question."
The vehicle he's talking about is a teal-colored car with a white hood. Poulsen hopes it's distinct enough that someone will recognize it and put an end to the men's crime spree.
"Right now, they're out there thinking they're off, completely free, enjoying their stuff or selling it, whatever they're doing with the things they bought, so definitely I want them to get them caught," Poulsen says.
He also had his social security card and his concealed carry permit in his wallet. He says fortunately, someone found the permit and returned it to him.
If you have any information on the men in the video call police at (801) 825-4400.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
E-mail: tcallan@ksl.com
