Two Arrested in Kissimmee Car Burglary Ring – Caught with Stolen IDs, Drugs, and Burglary Tools

Photo Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office

Staff Reporter  | iSkyNews.com (ISC News)

Published May 24th, 2025

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Kissimmee, FL – Polk County Sheriff's Deputies arrested two men early Tuesday morning, May 20, after catching them in the midst of a burglary spree in the Four Corners area.

Deputies responded to a call reporting suspicious activity on Pickerel Court in Kissimmee, where three individuals were seen flipping car door handles. Home surveillance video captured the suspects wearing dark clothing, ski masks, and gloves, and carrying a distinctive red tool bag. The footage also showed the men attempting to open the doors of a black Chevrolet truck before fleeing the scene in a white Nissan Maxima.

Deputies quickly mobilized, setting up a perimeter with the support of drones, a helicopter, and a K-9 Unit. Not long after, a patrol deputy spotted the white Maxima turning off Lake Marion Creek Road onto Marigold Avenue. A traffic stop was conducted, and two suspects—18-year-old Joshua Mahase and 19-year-old Julian Cortez—were detained. Detectives are still working to identify the third individual involved.

Inside the suspect vehicle, deputies found items matching those seen in the surveillance footage: the red burglary tool bag, black ski mask, gloves, and clothing worn during the attempted thefts. They also uncovered marijuana, drug paraphernalia, multiple driver’s licenses, passports, and debit/credit cards not belonging to either suspect. Neither Mahase nor Cortez had a medical marijuana card.

During questioning, Mahase confessed to targeting unlocked vehicles and provided information about specific neighborhoods where the break-ins occurred. Further investigation linked the suspects to 20 separate burglariesreported over the past six weeks.

“Thanks to the citizen who saw something, and said something, we were able to quickly respond and stop these brazen thieves and their criminal enterprise,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “For over a month they’ve been victimizing citizens who are sleeping peacefully in the northeast area of our county, breaking into their cars and stealing their stuff. And now they’re facing very serious felonies. This is also a great reminder to you all to lock your car doors.”

Charges for Mahase and Cortez include:

• Possession of cannabis
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Maintaining a vehicle for drug use
• Possession of stolen IDs (9 counts)
• Grand theft – firearm
• Conspiracy to commit fraud (10 counts)
• Conspiracy to commit grand theft
• Fraudulent use of credit/debit card (3 counts)
• Possession of burglary tools (20 counts)
• Petit theft (19 counts)
• Unlawful possession of personal ID (5 or more)
• Armed burglary conveyance
• Conspiracy to commit burglary conveyance (20 counts)
• Burglary of an unoccupied, unarmed conveyance (19 counts)

Both suspects remain in custody as detectives continue the investigation.

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Two Arrested in Kissimmee Car Burglary Ring – Caught with Stolen IDs, Drugs, and Burglary Tools

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