Philadelphia Man Allegedly Reneges on Deal, Smashes Car

A Philadelphia man allegedly tried to squeeze money out a Huntingdon Valley resident following an agreement to move furniture, but the resident wasn’t budging ... quite literally.

Devin Phillips, 34, of Beaumont Avenue, was charged with felony criminal mischief, theft and related charges after he allegedly smashed a moving truck into a Melmar Road resident’s car and left with about $10,000 worth of the victim’s belongings.

According to police, the incident stemmed from an agreement Phillips had made with the Melmar Road resident on March 23 in which Phillips — whom the victim knew only as “Phil” — would deliver furniture to the victim’s house for $600. The movers, once at the victim’s house, then told the victim that he needed to pay an additional $400 because the move required two trips, police said.

The victim then pulled his Volkswagen Jetta behind the Budget Rent-a-Car Truck, which was being driven by Phillips, and called the police. Phillips then struck the Jetta while the victim was inside the vehicle, causing $5,500 worth of damage, hit a mailbox and some bushes, and then fled, police said.

Police tried unsuccessfully to reach out to Phillips regarding the incident.

On April 4, police obtained a search warrant from District Justice John Kessler requesting subscriber information for Phillips’ cell phone number; police obtained Phillips’ address and date of birth and learned that Phillips had disconnected his number on March 23.

About a week later, the victim positively identified the man he knew as “Phil” from a photo array.

A preliminary hearing for Phillips is scheduled for May 15 at 9 a.m. in front of Kessler.