Odd spree of mirror thefts ends when cops find a ‘house of mirrors,’ VA sheriff says

A strange crime spree involving mirrors may have been solved after deputies discovered a man was living with hundreds of side mirrors off vehicles, according to Virginia law enforcement officials.

The 27-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 21, and deputies report more than 200 truck mirrors were in his North Stafford home, Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur said in a news release. Stafford is about 65 miles north of Richmond.

“Over the last three years, there have been numerous reports of side mirrors being stolen from unoccupied tractor trailers in the area,” the sheriff said.

“Deputies and detectives were looking into the thefts and conducting surveillance details, but were unable to crack the case … until last week when a crafty resident helped solve the crime.”

On Nov. 13, someone reported their side mirror was taken, and it had an AirTag attached, the sheriff’s office said. AirTags are a tracking device that can be linked to iPhones and other Apple devices, according to Apple.com.

Detectives used the AirTag to track the stolen mirror to a single-family home on Antietam Loop, where they “discovered a literal house of mirrors.”

In all, 206 truck side mirrors were found, officials said.

The suspect “has initially been charged with two counts of grand larceny and two counts of tampering with a vehicle, but there is a lot of investigative work left to do,” the sheriff’s office said.

“It appears the suspect began stealing side mirrors several years ago and hasn’t looked back,” officials said. “Amazingly, (he) had placed a sticker on many of the mirrors, indicating the date and location of the theft.”

Investigators say they don’t yet know of a motive.