Man Charged With Stealing 17 Taxicabs and Retired Police Cars

Surveillance footage of the cab theft suspect released in June (left), suspect Eric Kemp (right).

Back in June, we told you about a string of cab thefts in Philadelphia, and police released the surveillance image seen above of the suspect in the crimes. And now, police say that they have their man.

24-year-old Eric Kemp from Southwest Philadelphia has been arrested for the cab thefts. According to police, he stole retired police cars and active taxicabs, including eight Philadelphia cabs over one nine-day period. All of those cabs bore the “215-GET-A-CAB” logo. The thefts began on June 7th and continued through August 25th, mostly in West and Southwest Philadelphia and Upper Darby.

Police say that an anonymous caller identified Kemp as the man seen in the surveillance photos. He has been charged with 17 counts of auto theft as well as related charges.

In 2012, Kemp pleaded guilty to drug charges and received a maximum of two years probation, but court records indicate that he violated that probation, and it has now been increased to eight years. In 2014, a jury found him guilty on another drug charge, and he was sentenced to a minimum of 1-1/2 years in jail. Obviously he got out early.

Kemp is currently sitting in the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, unable to post bail.