Man Accused of Stealing Dozens of Phones During EDC Orlando 2019

Recently, EDC Orlando wrapped up a record-breaking edition! The now 3-day festival took place from Friday, November 8, 2019, to Sunday, November 10, 2019, and welcomed a whopping 225,000 attendees who were treated to over 160-plus artists' performances. In addition, it has been reported that $60,000 will be donated from Insomniac Cares to Strengthen Orlando. Although the fest' brought a long list of positives forward, there were, of course, a few negatives that presented itself over the course of the weekend. 

Among the five individuals that were arrested during this year's Electric Daisy Carnival, including two people on charges of trespassing after warning and battery of a law enforcement officer, a partygoer by the name of Carlos Perez-Hernandez has been accused of pickpoketing. Authorities have stated that the man had at least 34 cell phones in his backpack, worth an estimated $20,000.

The tip originated from Brian Drost who went to Camping World Stadium in hopes of locating his lost cell phone on Monday morning. He and his friend reported that their belongings vanished near the Kinetic Stage. The authorities received another tip that an attendee wearing a tie-dyed hoodie was swiftly taking phones directly out of people's pockets near the same location. That's when Perez-Hernandez was caught red handed.

The stolen devices were set to airplane mode; a crafty way of swaying the location tracker. When Perez-Hernandez was confronted about why he was carrying so many phones, he stated that they were all his. Following the arrest, dozens of attendees came forward in hopes of locating their stolen property. Unfortunately, Orlando police have only been able to identify 3 of the 34 phones, while the rest are still being held as evidence.

This is a friendly reminder to keep your personal belongings in a safe place. Lockers are often available on the festival's grounds and are one of the best locations to keep one's valuables. In addition, it's important to keep an eye out on your fellow ravers. Unfortunately, not everyone who attends events go in with good intentions. Stay safe, Flag Fam!