A city man with a history of retail thefts and who shares the name of a famous actor has landed in jail on charges of stealing two packs of cigarettes from a Wawa on a Sunday afternoon in late April.
The man’s girlfriend, meanwhile, helped police by confirming two things – the car he was driving (it was hers) and the kind of cigarettes he smokes (Newport).
According to court records:
- The suspect, Jose Ferrer, 45, was in the at 741 E. Broad St. by Stefko Blvd. around 1:18pm April 29 when a witness watched him reach behind a register counter, take two packs of Newports, place them in his pockets and leave without paying.
- She described the man as “a heavyset, 40-ish” male (he is 5-feet-7, 240 pounds) wearing a black zip-up hoodie and jeans. The cigarettes were worth $12.39.
- The store manager “was notified” as the man was leaving and saw him get into a black 2009 Nissan Sentra sedan. He was last seen driving west on E. Broad Street.
- The car’s registration came back to a woman with the address of 1450 D Johnston Drive in the city (also listed as Ferrer’s address in the records).
- The woman told police Ferrer is her boyfriend, that he had her car, he matched the description given to her and that he smokes Newport cigarettes. But she said she did not know where he was and had no way of making contact with him.
- Police later learned that Ferrer pleaded guilty to “four known past retail thefts” and that his Pennsylvania driver’s license was suspended.
- A warrant was issued the next day. Ferrer was taken into custody Monday (June 18), but the records do not say where and how police found him.
He was arraigned Monday night by on-duty District Judge Todd Strohe of Bangor on charges of retail theft and driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked. He was committed to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $7,500 bail.
The actor Jose Ferrer, who died in 1992, was best known for his roles in the films “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “The Caine Mutiny.” He also was married to actress and singer Rosemary Clooney.
