Teen, 16, Called 'Vital' to Arrest of 3 Motorcycle Thieves Caught in Act

A 16-year-old East Providence boy who is part of the police department’s Explorer program helped to foil the theft of a motorcycle early Monday morning, July 22. 

The boy did not want to be identified.

The teen spotted through a window in his house three men walking on Donnelly Street about 2:30 am and looking around suspiciously. He called the police dispatcher and reported what he was seeing, according to several media sources, including the Providence Journal and wpri.com.

"He did everything he was supposed to do," said Sgt. David Pacheco, who runs the Explorer program for East Providence in a story on wpri.com. "It was vital to the arrest."

Two of the men soon ran up a driveway and came back into view with a Honda motorcycle they started pushing up the street, the boy told police.

The teen also reported the three men’s descriptions and the direction they were moving with the motorcycle.

Lt. Garo said that patrol officers Stephen Rodrigues, Richard Rodrigues, Roland Estrada, Brian Mulvey, Steven Tiernan, Sandra St. Laurent, Charles Walkup and Sgt. Samuel Luke blocked off an area from Donnelly Street to Laura Street between South Broadway and Warren Avenue. They then began a search for the three men from yard to yard.

The three men were captured within 20 minutes, said Lt. Garo. They include Eduardo Rodrigues, 23, of Pawtucket; Kevin Gamboa, 21, of Pawtucket, and Shawn Puello 24, of Pawtucket. 

Police also recovered a backpack containing burglary tools, such as bolt cutters and screwdrivers. 

East Providence police have charged each man with larceny of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit a felony. They will appear in Providence District Court on Monday, July 29, to face the charges.