Joseph Edward Romano, 47, of Merrillville, faces felony charges after police say surveillance footage shows him breaking into a secured construction site on two separate occasions and later selling the stolen steel at a Gary scrap yard.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hammond Police responded to investigate two burglaries at a commercial construction site in the 3500 block of 169th Street. The construction property manager for National Shopping Plaza told investigators the site was surrounded by a six-foot chain link fence with a locked gate secured by a chain and padlock.
Surveillance video captured a white van pulling up to the property on January 24, 2026, at approximately 3:20 p.m. The fence was taken apart where two panels meet, and bundles of metal wall studs valued at more than $200 were removed.
Footage from February 3, 2026, at approximately 4:05 p.m., showed the same white van returning. The fence was again dismantled, and large steel pipes valued at more than $3,000 were taken. The van left about seven minutes later while towing a trailer loaded with the stolen materials. The manager told police the fence and gate were locked before both incidents and that no one had permission to enter the property.
Investigators examined surveillance footage from the construction site, nearby license plate readers, and a Gary scrap yard. Authorities identified the van as a 2008 Ford Econoline E250 displaying an Indiana plate that was registered to a different vehicle.
A Lake County police officer had previously located the same van on January 23, 2026, improperly parked at a Merrillville motel with the false plate attached. The driver identified himself as Joseph Edward Romano and told police he had recently bought the van but did not have the money to register it properly.
Police also discovered the same van had been linked to prior theft investigations in Munster on December 30, 2025, and in Highland on January 5, 2026.
Surveillance footage from the Gary scrap yard showed the van towing a trailer arriving on February 3, 2026, at 4:17 p.m. Video captured 198 pounds of steel being unloaded, and Romano receiving $198 in cash.
He was lodged in the Lake County Jail on February 7, 2026.
Charges filed February 6, 2026:
• Burglary — Level 5 Felony (2 counts)