By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press News Reporter
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A St. Thomas man is facing multiple criminal charges after surveillance footage linked him and two minors to a stolen pickup truck that was found wedged against the doors of a local physical therapy business last month.
Ra’Jahni Hendrickson was arrested on July 3, 2026, following an investigation by the Virgin Islands Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau. Hendrickson stands charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of stolen property, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, damage to a vehicle, aiding and abetting, and misprision of a felony.
The Disappearance and Discovery
The incident began on Sunday, June 14, 2026, when business owner Zebde Thomas III reported his white 1996 Chevrolet C150 work truck missing. Thomas stated he had parked the truck—which belongs to his business, Exquisite Lawn Care and Pressure Washing LLC—behind the former Kmart on 10th Street in Sugar Estate the previous evening. The truck was loaded with bags of landscaping debris.
Hours before Thomas discovered the vehicle was missing, the truck had already run afoul of local property owners. At approximately 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, a yoga instructor arriving to teach a class at Horizon Physical Therapy in Sugar Estate found the white Chevrolet backed directly against the building’s hurricane doors, completely blocking the entrance.
The property landlord, Lloyd Norford of M & M Electric, was notified and subsequently contacted All Around Towing LLC to have the vehicle removed to a storage yard in Smith Bay for safekeeping.
Surveillance and Technology Unravel the Plot
While processing the scene, authorities discovered that a damaged, camouflage-colored green scooter had been added to the bed of the truck—an item Thomas later verified did not belong to him. A search of the territory’s FLOCK license plate reader database confirmed the stolen truck, carrying the unauthorized scooter, had been captured on camera being towed towards Smith Bay on Sunday afternoon.
When business operators reviewed their surveillance camera footage, the true nature of the incident came to light. The footage captured three young males wearing hoodies reversing the truck into the parking lot at 5:58 a.m. on June 14.
The driver, identified as a minor, exited the left side, while another minor guided the vehicle back against the door. Hendrickson was observed exiting from the middle passenger seat and assisting with the parking sequence.
Curious Onlookers and Finger-Pointing
During questioning at the Juvenile Bureau on June 30, Hendrickson waived his rights and claimed his minor cousin and a friend had stolen the truck and the scooter from separate locations. Hendrickson alleged he only walked over to inspect the vehicle out of curiosity and briefly sat inside it, denying any active role in the theft. However, investigators noted that Hendrickson successfully identified himself and the minors in still photographs taken from the scene.
Police also interviewed an associate, Stephan Joseph, who admitted he knew the truck was stolen but failed to report it. When detectives pressed Joseph on why he traveled to look at the truck despite knowing it was stolen by a minor, Joseph reportedly replied, “If somebody tells you they thief something, you’re not going to see what they thief? I going to see.”
The vehicle’s owner reported that upon recovery, the truck’s left front door lock was jammed out, the left headlight was dangling from its socket, the brakes were locking up, and the transmission gear shift would no longer slide into park. Mechanical repairs for the damage totaled $340.92.
Hendrickson was booked and processed with bail set at $30,000. Unable to post the amount, he was turned over to the Bureau of Corrections pending his Advice of Rights hearing.
POSTSCRIPT: The audacity of the local heist, captured entirely on automated cameras, underscores a growing trend of technology leaving nowhere for criminals to hide.
