GPS TRAIL: St. Thomas Police Apprehend Suspect in Utility Vehicle Theft on Veterans Drive
TRACKED DOWN: A Virgin Islands Police Department booking photograph of Burton Fahie, 54, who was arrested by Criminal Investigation Bureau detectives on Veterans Drive, St. Thomas. Fahie faces multiple property charges, including Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Possession of Stolen Property, after a utility company utilized live GPS data to track a stolen commercial vehicle to Nadir Hill. (Photo: VIPD)
By JOHN McCARTHY / St. Croix Sun Staff Writer
ST. THOMAS — A high-tech GPS tracking loop has landed a 54-year-old man behind bars after he allegedly made off with a commercial utility vehicle, triggering an immediate electronic manhunt across St. Thomas.
The investigation began on the afternoon of April 30, 2026, when personnel from a local utility provider noticed an unscheduled alert on their fleet tracking terminal. At approximately 4:13 p.m., the company's automated GPS system reported that one of their commercial vehicles had been moved from its designated parking zone without authorization.
Equipped with real-time telemetry, investigators monitored the vehicle’s progress across the island. At approximately 12:30 a.m. the following morning, the tracking data indicated that the stolen truck had become completely stationary in the vicinity of Nadir Hill. Responding VIPD officers converged on the coordinates provided by the GPS array and successfully recovered the intact utility vehicle.
Following weeks of subsequent fieldwork by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the suspect was formally identified as Burton Fahie. On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, enforcement officers spotted Fahie in the high-traffic area near the FirstBank branch on Veterans Drive. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to police headquarters for booking.
Fahie has been officially charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, Possession of Stolen Property, and Damage to a Vehicle. Remanded to custody after being unable to secure a $27,500.00 cash bail, he was processed and turned over to the Bureau of Corrections at the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center pending his formal Advice of Rights hearing.
