Trio arrested at Northwest Philly theft-from-car hotspot

An undercover surveillance operation near Valley Green Inn resulted in the arrests of three alleged thieves involved in a vehicle break-in that occurred while police officers watched.

According to police sources, plainclothes 14th District officers set up that surveillance operation at a parking lot off Forbidden Drive on June 4.

At approximately 6:25 p.m., a male and two females arrived in a 2007 Lincoln. According to police reports, the male — later identified as 33-year-old Daniel Duncan of West Philadelphia — allegedly exited the Lincoln and looked into a parked car.

After he got a screwdriver and pried open the top of the driver-side door, police swarmed and arrested Duncan along with two alleged accomplices: Aja Whetstone, 32, of Sharon Hill and Kisha Duncan, 35, of Landsdowne.

According to police, Daniel Duncan has warrants from last year for alleged theft from vehicles in the same area.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects may have used stolen credit cards at stores in Plymouth Meeting, Willow Grove and Conshohocken, police said.

The back story

For years, thieves have targeted cars parked at Valley Green in Northwest Philadelphia, stealing anything from clothes to electronics.

The problem became so prominent that NewsWorks provided readers with “A guide to preventing car break-ins in Northwest Philadelphia” last September.

At the same time, local police also expressed a willingness to deploy themselves in unexpected ways, the results of which led to the arrest of Whetstone and the Duncans, who face numerous theft and conspiracy charges.

According to court records, Daniel Duncan is currently in custody at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. Having previously served time on car-theft and drug charges, his preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 19.

Whetstone and Kisha Duncan were both released from custody and have hearings scheduled for July 10.