Stealing packages is one thing. Stealing an entire truckload of packages? That’s an efficient use of labor — unless you get caught. And that last part appears to be where Alejandro Sanchez’s master plan fell apart, if prosecutors’ allegations are true.
An Amazon driver was making deliveries around 12:30 p.m. last Friday when he stepped out of his truck to drop off a package on the 1200 block of West Catalpa in Edgewater. The driver unwisely left the truck running with the keys inside as he headed into a building with a customer’s order.
While inside the building, a witness gave him some bad news: Some guy was stealing his truck.
Prosecutors said the delivery driver ran outside just in time to see Sanchez climbing into the Amazon vehicle and driving away.
About 30 minutes after the van was taken, Lincolnwood police saw it run a red light, and they tried to pull it over. The suburban officers learned that the truck had just been stolen, so they arrested Sanchez, who was allegedly driving it. Prosecutors said the Amazon driver identified Sanchez, 31, as the thief.
They charged Sanchez with receiving or possessing a stolen motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. Judge David Navarro set his bail at $5,000, meaning Sanchez must post a $500 deposit to go home.
Sanchez is not the first person to allegedly give in to the temptation of an idling Amazon truck.
Lanel Lomack, 57, was charged with stealing an Amazon truck while its driver made a delivery on the 1400 block of West Leland in Uptown over the summer. His case was still pending when we recently checked on its progress.