Cops: Duo Believed To Have Been Traveling Country Stealing From Ulta

A coordinated theft operation targeting Ulta Beauty stores across several states was thwarted last Thursday when Middletown Township police arrested two suspects from Texas, authorities said on Tuesday.

Officers were first called last Thursday around 1:43 p.m. to the Ulta Beauty store at the Lincoln Plaza shopping center on East Lincoln Highway after the duo allegedly stole approximately $1,200 of merchandise, police said.

Authorities were alerted to the retail theft at Ulta Beauty and quickly spotted a black Nissan SUV with Texas temporary tags that was believed to be used by the suspects. The SUV was across the street.

The suspects – identified as Yunior Yanes-Baragano, 39, and Jensy Herrera-Acosta, 29, both of Dallas – attempted to evade police on foot in the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory and Goodwill but were detained with the assistance of a K-9 unit, police said.

During the attempt to flee, Yanes-Baragano discarded an item, which led to a police drone discovering a suspicious item on the roof of Burlington Coat Factory, police said.

Officials said the package contained a magnetic device and a hook-shaped cutting instrument wrapped in tin foil. The item is a tool often used in retail thefts.

Additional investigation led to the discovery of a third person, a woman hiding inside the Nissan Armada, along with a significant amount of new, tagged merchandise suspected to be stolen from various stores, police said.

The woman found hiding in the SUV was identified as a Cuban national with residencies in Florida and Texas. She was detained but later released without charges, police said.

The vehicle was impounded for further investigation, police said.

The SUV had been recently purchased by Yanes-Baragano at a dealership in Irving, Texas.

Ulta Beauty Loss Prevention investigators have linked the pair to a series of thefts from Texas to Connecticut, suggesting the merchandise was being shipped elsewhere before their arrest in Pennsylvania, police said.

Law enforcement officials said they believe the suspects were on their way back to Texas at the time of their arrest.

Items recovered during the operation were swabbed for DNA, and Yanes-Baragano consented to provide a DNA sample to aid in the investigation, police said.

Yanes-Baragano and Acosta were charged with retail theft, receiving stolen property. The 39-year-old man was also charged with possession of an intrument of crime with intent, and the 29-year-old woman was also charged with flight to avoid apprehension. The two were preliminarily arraigned before on-call District Judge Michael Gallagher and held on 10 percent of $70,000 bail. This week, the duo posted bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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