The alleged suspects dumped boxes containing $1.2 million worth of Apple devices. (US Department of Justice)
key takeaways:
- Three men face federal charges after allegedly hijacking a truck filled with $1.2 million worth of Apple products outside a Long Island mall.
- The suspects allegedly tied up the two drivers and drove the stolen merchandise via multiple vehicles to a New Jersey storage site.
- Prosecutors cited surveillance, cellphone data and Apple device records as evidence and said a driver freed himself and called 911.
Two truck drivers were left hostage in a trailer during an incident Armed theft of $1.2 million in Apple products At a Long Island mall, three undocumented individuals were charged federally.
The alleged perpetrators – Alan Christopher Cedeño-Ferrer, 27; Michael Mejia-Nunez, 29; and Ananit Alexis Siret-Padilla, 24 – face criminal charges filed by the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York.
The defendants were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields using a Spanish interpreter and charged with Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Hobbs Act Prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion which in any way affects interstate or foreign commerce.
The accused were declared a significant flight risk by the Department of Justice due to the seriousness of the charges, a lengthy prison sentence of up to 30 years if convicted, and being citizens of the Dominican Republic who entered the United States illegally.
County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said, “These guys came into Nassau County and committed armed robberies that terrified people. We didn’t stop pursuing them until they were brought to justice.”
This image of Ananit Alexis Siret-Padilla (left) and Michael Mejia-Nunez was taken from video surveillance obtained from a self-storage company in Paterson, NJ (U.S. Department of Justice).
The crime occurred around 8 a.m. on January 3 when the unidentified truck driver was waiting for the Apple Store to open outside the Americana Manhasset shopping mall. His truck was filled with MacBook laptop computers, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and accessories. According to court documents, the stop was the first delivery of the day and two other deliveries were scheduled for New York mall stores.
Three masked men with weapons arrived in vehicles, forced a driver into the back of a trailer and tied his hands with zip ties. The other driver was forced at gunpoint to drive the truck half a mile to a deserted parking lot near an office building. There, he was ordered into a trailer and bound.
The semi was followed by two cars and a rented Home Depot box truck and allegedly loaded with stolen merchandise and eventually taken to a self-storage location in Paterson, NJ.
Alan Christopher Cedeno-Ferrer is accused of negotiating the purchase of a handgun used in a cargo robbery. (US Department of Justice)
Court records state, “After being terrorized and kidnapped by masked gunmen, the victims were left for dead, zip-tied and locked in a cold truck with temperatures in the 20s. Thankfully, one of the victims broke free of his restraints, saving a tragedy.” That driver called 911 from inside the closed trailer.
Law enforcement officials apparently tracked the Home Depot box truck and another vehicle through GPS location data, red-light cameras and license plate readers as the vehicles drove on major roads, expressways and bridges in Nassau County, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cedeno-Ferrer was accused of renting a Home Depot truck using a fake Pennsylvania driver’s license, and his fingerprints were reportedly on a copy of the rental agreement found inside the rental truck.
Siret-Padilla allegedly rented a storage unit in his name and provided his Dominican Republic passport as identification. The storage unit was used to transfer stolen Apple products from a Home Depot box truck to a U-Haul truck and a car.
A grand jury indicted three suspects in the Eastern District of New York on May 5.
Prosecutors’ evidence
- video surveillance
- Cellphone location data shows that Mejia-Nunez and Siret-Padilla traveled from New Jersey to the Manhasset area on Long Island and to Paterson, NJ, at the relevant time.
- Apple Inc. Records allegedly show on January 4 and January 7 that Cedeno-Ferrer activated two Apple Watches among the stolen cargo.
Three men have been charged in the armed hijacking of a delivery truck loaded with Apple products at the Americana Manhasset mall on Long Island. https://t.co/9 quXrrpq8r
– US Attorney EDNY (@EDNYnews) 7 May 2026
Court records also cite WhatsApp audio and chat records allegedly between Cedeño-Ferrer and a handgun seller. The exchange of information also included photographs of the pistol. Records say the seller was allegedly instructed to deliver the gun to a New York address, which prosecutors argue is the same mailing address Siret-Padilla gave to immigration authorities in “his pending immigration proceedings.”
The FBI’s New York Field Office and Nassau County Police announced charges at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Alan Christopher Cedeno-Ferrer reportedly negotiated the purchase of the small handgun in the upper left corner of the photo above. (US Department of Justice)
“The defendants allegedly held two innocent employees at gunpoint before hijacking and robbing their delivery truck out of selfish greed,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle Jr.. “The FBI continues to work closely with our local law enforcement partners to prevent violent criminals from wreaking havoc on our communities.”
