Wilmington, DE – The Delaware State Police have arrested 40-year-old Michael Denney of Pennsville, New Jersey, in connection with a series of commercial burglaries and thefts that occurred throughout New Castle County between late May and mid-June.
According to investigators, the first incident was reported on May 29, 2025, at Auto Team Delaware, located at 3400 Lancaster Pike in Wilmington. Troopers determined that an unknown white male suspect accessed the property after business hours in a dark-colored Ford pickup truck. The suspect was observed entering a building under construction, cutting the lock on a shipping container, and stealing various tools.
A second burglary was reported on June 12, 2025, at Farrar Car Wash, located at 602 Main Street in Wilmington. The investigation revealed that a similarly described suspect arrived in the same type of vehicle and proceeded to steal fuel from construction equipment and copper wiring from a building under construction.
On June 16, 2025, a third burglary occurred at a Wawa construction site at 2645 Capitol Trail in Newark. Again, the suspect arrived in a dark-colored Ford pickup, cut the lock on a trailer, and removed tools from inside.
During their investigation, Troop 2 Property Crimes Detectives identified Denney as the individual responsible for all three burglaries police said. Authorities also discovered that the vehicle used in each incident displayed stolen or fictitious license plates. The total value of stolen property is estimated to exceed $13,000.
Denney was located and taken into custody without incident on June 22, 2025, during a traffic stop in North Wilmington. He was transported to Troop 2, where he was charged with three counts of Burglary Third Degree (felony), four counts of Theft $1,500 or Greater (felony), two counts of Theft Under $1,500, two counts of Criminal Mischief Under $1,000, one count of Fictitious or Canceled Registration Tag, and one count of Display of License Plate. Following arraignment in Justice of the Peace Court 11, Denney was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $6,100 secured bond.
